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Major General John F. Hartranft, Commander Tliirfl Division, 
Ninth Army Corp. 



MILITARY HISTORY 



OF THE 



THIRD DIVISION, NINTH CORPS 



ARMY OF THE POTOMAC 

With a Record of the Division Association, Organized Harrisburg 
March 25 1890, and Dedication of Equestrian Statue to General 
John F. Hartranft, Commander Division May 12, 1899, and the 
Dedication of the Monuments at Fort Stedman and Mahone on 
Petersburg Battle Field. May 19th, 1909, with the Addresses 
Delivered there by President Taft and Others 



Compiled and Edited by 

MILTON A. EMBICK 

Se««t«y Battlefield Commission. Third Division. Ninth Army Corps 
Army of the Potomac 



BY AUTHORITY OF BATTLEFIELD COMMISSION. 
JULY. 1910. 



O. E. AUGHINBAUGH. 

PRINTER TO THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA 

1913. 






DEDICATION 



In tender memory for their comrades Dead, and cheerful greet- 
ings to the Living, the Battlefield Commission respectfully dedicate 
this volume to the Children, and the Children's Children, of the 
Soldiers of the Third Division, Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac. 



AUG 26 im 






INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS 



Page, 

Frontispiece— Gen. John Frederick Hartranft, 1 

Battle of Fort Stedman 4 

Major A. C. Huidekoper, 23 

The Monument at Fort Mahone, Petersburg, Virginia, 60 

The Battle Field Commission, 63 

The Monument at Fort Stedman, §8 

A. P. Hill Camp of Confederate Veterans, 73 

Hon. Milton A. Embick, 7(j 

Miss Mable Elizabeth Jones, 75 

Hon. Seward W. Jones, 77 

Photograph of Fort Stedman, 7g 

Col. R. H. I. Goddard, 79 

Photograph of Division at Fort Rice, 30 

Mrs. Harold Arthur Gilbert, 81 

Major Isaac B. Brown, 82 

Photograph of Presidential Reviewing Stand, S3 

Capture of Fort Mahone 85 

President William Howard Taf t 89 

Gov. Edwin S. Stuart 91 

Gov. Claud R. Swanson, 92 



%fS) 



^ SKETCH OF THE MILITARY RECORD 

OF THE 

Third Division of the Ninth Army Corps 
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC 



By MAJOR A. C. HUIDEKOPER. 211th 



IN the Spring of 1864 President Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 
the enlistment of five (hundred thousand men. The State of Pennsyl- 
vauia'j quota included the men who made up the 200th, 205th, 207th, 
208th, 209th, and the 211th regiments of volunteer infantry, and these 
regiments at a later date became the Third Division of the Ninth Army 
Corps, Army of the Potomac, and were commanded by General Hartranft, 
a Pennsylvanian himself. The Division vpas often referred to as Hart- 
ranft's Division. 

The men who composed these six regiments were a husky, healthy lot of 
young men, varying in age from 16 to 22 years; they were drawn from pro- 
fessional occupations, the trades, and agricultural life; and the records 
made by many of the rank and file, in political, civil and social life after 
the War, showed that they were men of intelligence and culture. 

The 2l0th Regiment was recruited from the Counties of York, Cumber- 
land, and Dauphin. It was organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, Pa., 
on the third day of September, 1864. It was commanded by Charles W. 
Diven, formerly Major of the 12th Pennsylvania Reserves. William H. H. 
McCaU, formerly a Captain in the 5th Reserve was the Lieutenant Col- 
onel; and Jacob Rehrer, formerly a Captain in the 6th Reserve, was the 
Major. 

The 205th Regiment was recruited from the Counties of Blair, Berks, 
Huntingdon, Mifflin, Dauphin and Adams. It was organized at Camp 
Curtin, Harrisburg, Pa., on September 2, 1864. Joseph A. Matthews was 
its Colonel; William F. Walters, Lieutenant Colonel; and B. M. Morrow, 
Major. 

The 207th Regiment was organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, Pa., 
on Sept. 1, 1864, with the following field officers: Robert C. Cox, for- 
merly Major of the 175th Infantry, Colonel; William S. Snoddy, Lieu- 
CD 



2 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

tenant Colonel; and Victor A. Elliott, Major. The men were recruited 
from Tioga, Clinton, Cumberland, Lycoming, Bradford, York, and Lan- 
caster Counties. 

The 208th Regiment was organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, Pa., 
Sept. 12, 1864. It was recruited from the Counties of Perry, Snyder, 
Blair, Lebanon, Dauphin and Bedford. The field officers were: Alfred B. 
McCalmoth, Colonel; W. T. Heintzelman, Lieutenant Colonel; and Alex- 
ander Bobb, Major. 

The 209th Regiment was organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, Pa. , on 
Sept. 16, 1864. It was recruited from the Counties of Cumberland, York, 
Cambria, Franklin, Columbia, Adams, Lehigh and Lebanon. Tobias B. 
Kaufman, formerly Major of the 1st Pennsylvania Reserves, was Colonel; 
George W. Fredericks was Lieutenant Colonel ; and John Z. Ritchey was the 
Major. 

The 211th Regiment was organized at Camp Reynolds, Pittsburgh, Pa., 
on the 16th day of Sept. 1864. It was recruited from the Counties of 
Crawford, Jefferson, McKean, Elk, Mercer, Warren, Erie and West- 
moreland. James H. Trimble, formerly Major of the 4th Pennsylvania Cav- 
alry, was the Colonel; Levi A. Dodd, formerly a Captain in the 169di Pa. 
Infantry, was the Lieutenant Colonel; and Augustus A. Mechling was the 
Major. Many of the officers and some of the men had seen service before, 
as this was their second enlistment. 

The six regiments (which I will call "The Regiments") were transported by 
boat from Washington, and from Baltimore to City Point, Va. At that 
place they were formed into a Provisional Brigade, with some other troops, 
and came under the immediate (command of General B. F. Butler. The reg- 
iments were assigned to J. H. Potter's brigade and were ordered to do duty 
on what was known as the Bermuda Hundred front, which extended a dis- 
tance of about five miles, from the James River on the right to the Appo- 
mattox river on the left. It was about at the center of General Grant's 
lines, as the Army of the James then lay across the James River on the 
right, and the army of the Potomac lay on the other side of the Appomattox 
River on the left. 

This front was fortified by a series of forts and batteries connected witii 
heavy entrenchments. There were a few detached and advanced forts sur- 
rounded by chevaux de frise and abatis. 

Opposed to this front was the Confederate line, equally well fortified, and 
defended by Pickett's veteran division of Gettysburg fame. Behind the Con- 
federate line was the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad, a line essential to 
the safety of their Army. The right of the Bermuda Hundred front was 
about 12 miles distant from Richmond, and the left about 10 miles distant 
from Petersburg ; and this front was most important to the safety of the 
Federal Army, for it was only eight miles from City Point, where were the 
General Headquarters, as well as the base of supplies for the Army. Con- 
sidering the importance of this position, it was remarkable that its defense 
should have been entrusted largely to a body of troops which had never 



Army of the Potomac. 3 

even been schooled in the manual of arms. After a few days at Bermuda 
Hundred, the regiments were ordered into the fortifications at the front, 
where the brigade took the place of troops of the ISth Army Corps which had 
been transferred to the Army of the James to take part in the attack on 
Fort Harrison. 

On the very day that the brigade arrived at the entrenchments they ex- 
perienced the realities of war. To the right of their camps they could see 
the assaulting column at the battle of Fort Harrison; they could hear the 
thunder of guns and could see the burBting of shells to right and left of them, 
and they received a heavy artillery fire on their own immediate front. Some- 
one in authority evidently thought it necessary to announce to the enemy 
that the Bermuda Hundred front had been strengthened, instead of weak- 
ened, by the removal of troops, and therefore issued an order to place the 
newly-arrived brigade on top of the breastworks. The enemy replied to this 
movement by opening fire with all of their guns in our front, and one of 
the shells killed and wounded several of our men before they could be or- 
dered down. It will be noted, therefore, that in less than fifteen days from 
the time of their muster-in, these regiments had entered on their rolla 
the first reports of "Killed in action." 

The services required of the new troops were especially severe. By day 
they were schooled in the manual of arms, in the school of the company, in 
the school of the regiment, and in service pertaining to camp and routine 
life. Besides these duties, they were placed on the picket and vedette 
lines, — positions which should only have been entrusted to veteran troops. 
The picket lines on this front were in such proximity that at one post the 
Union vedette sat at one end of a log and the Confederate vedette sat at the 
other end of it. Of course such conditions only lasted during the period 
when there was a tacit understanding that there should be no firing without 
due notice given by both sides, but at all times the c'ommotion of camp life, 
such as the bugle calls, the playing of the band, and the singing at Divine 
services, could be distinctly heard by the men on the advanced posts. 

Most of the oflicers in the several regiments were well schooled in their 
military duties, and the men were soon in <?ommendable military shape. 
The sanitation of the camps was very bad. Typhoid fever became epidemic. 
At least one-third of all the men were sent to the hospitals, and this nu- 
merical weakening of the ranks added greatly to the work of those who re- 
mained fit for duty. It was not uncommon for the men who had been on 
duty all night to be ordered out at 4 p. m. on the following day to perform the 
same service again. 

The proximity of the pickets made it possible for either side to mass a su- 
perior force at a given point on the line, and under screen of darkness to 
rush forward and "gobble the picket line," as it was called. Such attacks 
were made at long intervals, when the men least expected them. General 
orders required that all officers and men should report for duty at day-break 
at the breastworks, to be ready to repel any attack which might be made at 
any time, which was especially likely to happen at dawn. Add to this ner- 



4 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

vous strain the duties uecessary to camp life, and one can realize that offi- 
cers and men were being over-tasked. They suffered greatly from lack of 
sufficient sleep, not to speak of physical exhaustion. 

On part of the Bermuda front was an open field ; the view of the oppos- 
ing camps was only obstructed by the entrenchments. To the right of this 
open field on the picket line was wooded country sloping away to the James 
River. At the intersection of the open field and the wood there was a de- 
cided angle in the Confederate picket line, and this deflexion the enemy re- 
solved to straighten on the night of Nov. 17, 1S64. The night was dark. 
The Confederates masked a largely superior force, and at a concerted signal 
they rushed forward and captured our pickets. Our sentries who were not 
killed, wounded or captured, retreated in proper form to the reinforcements 
sent out to support them and formed a new picket line, but the enemy hav- 
ing accomplished their purpose, made no effort to advance. On this night 
assault we lost one Colonel, two Captains, two Lieutenants, and 117 men — 
a most serious loss, which was felt deeply by the regiments. Officers and men 
stood to their arms: they were killed or captured in their positions. The 
truth is, they were physically overcome by the superior numbers of their en- 
emies, and the men were killed and wounded as is incidental to any night 
melee, when darkness prevents accurate firing. 

This incident on the picket line aroused bitter feeling. As long as our 
troops held this position the picket detail had to be taken out after dark in 
sunken trenches, and the sight of a head or hand by day brought a shower 
of bullets at the offender; the breaking of a twig by night brought the ve- 
dettes in on a run, and a storm of musketry followed their arrival in the 
picket entrenchments. 

The Regiments under such conditions were very glad when they received 
their marohing orders on Nov. 24, 1864. They now crossed the Appomattox 
River over a pontoon bridge and became the Third Division of the Ninth 
Army Corps, Army of the Potomac. The Division was divided into brigades; 
the 200th, 208th and the 209th became the First Brigade; the 205th, the 
207th and the 211th became the Second Brigade. 

Brigadier General John Frederick Hartranft was placed in command of 
the Division. No better man could have been selected. He tad had a long 
and successful career as Colonel of the 51st Pennsylvania Volunteers ; he had 
a commanding military presence, a searching eye ready to notice the 
least defect ; he was swarthy of complexion — so much so that his men called 
him "Black John" ; lie was a splendid horseman — his mounts were thorough- 
breds ; he was especially careful in regard to his dress and accoutrements. 
He was a thorough going disciplinarian, commending good service and se- 
verely condemning bad; he obliged all of his staff officers to practice their 
horses over hurdles, ditches, and hedges; and he organized a Division 
school, were every field officer and every staff officer in the Division 
was taught how to meet every emergency in the field. Under the watchful 
eye of such a commander the troops soon showed the well-set-up figure 
which indicates the well-trained soldier. Their swing was easy, and 




Capture of Fort Steiliiian and adjae-eiit lines by the (,'uiit'edeiates 
under (leneral John P.. Gordon, on the morning of 
:\Iarcli 2"). isr>~). 




The liiial charge and recaiiture of Fort 8tfduian by the Third Division 
of the Ninth Army Corp.. March 2.5, ISGo. 



Army of the Potomac. 5 

when in front formations tlieir alignments were true. Tlieir General 
had confidence in his men; the men had absolute confidence in their 

commander. 

The Third Division was assigned a position in the rear of the Petersburg 
line, extending from the Appomattox on the right to Fort Howard on the 
left, a distance of about 4 1-2 to 5 miles. The Division was to act as a sup- 
port to any part of the line that was attacked,— and they never failed in 
their mission. Their camps were never out of range of the enemy's guns; 
often they were moved up under the musketry fire ; but the men had become 
accustomed to the sound of Minnie balls, shells from guns and mortars, and 
had had grape, canister and shrapnel hurled at them, so that they were 
now equal to any service required of them. 

They now established tliemselves in Winter quarters: log houses covered 
with canvas, with fireplaces at the gable, made them very comfortable. And 
the troops were now exercised in Brigade and Division formations. 

On December 9th the Division was ordered out as a support to General 
Warren's Corps, who were operating against the Weldon Railroad. They 
were sent in light marching order, without tents. Shortly after they had 
started it began to rain and snow, and after a march of some four miles 
they went into camp near Fort Stevenson, near what was called "Hangman's 
Ground," because there deserters were hanged or shot, usually on Fridays. 
Orders were given to build no fires, so as to screen the movements of the 
troops from the enemy, and the men were obliged to move around their 
bivouac to keep from freezing to death. In the morning the Division was 
paraded in a hollow square, to see the hanging of two deserters (not men 
from this Corps), and then the men were sent out over the Jerusalem plank- 
road on a 20-mile march to the support of Warren's troops. 

The men plodded along through mud, rain and sleet, wading through wa- 
ter up to their knees. They made a wet, cold camp, and guarded the Notta- 
way River until Warren's corps recrossed, when they were returned to their 
various camps, under conditions of hardship such as only trained soldiers 
can endure. 

On February 5, 1865, the Division was marched to support the Second 
Corps in the engagement at Hatcher's Run. The supporting column was 
placed under the command of General Humphreys, then commanding the 
Second Corps. The service on this trip was severe, but the men stood it well. 
During the early part of March large fatigue details were made to rebuild 
a secondary line of defense between Fort Prescott and Fort Broos. The 
troops were hero trained ip the cutting of stakes for abatis and the placing 
of the same, and this experience was later of much value to the men when 
they were called upon to cut away the abatis and chevau.r dc frisc in thoir 
assault on Fort Mahone. 

On Mardh 25th the Divisions were called to the support of the line which 
the enemy had captured at Fort Stedman. 

As the plans and the initiative of the Fort Stedman fight wore made by 
the Confederates, I herewith quote largely from General John B. Gordon's 



6 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

account of the Battle of Fort Stedman, — as it was called by the Union 
forces, — the Battle of Hare Hill, as it was called by the Confederates: 

"General Lee's instructions to me were substantially as follows: 'Move 
your troops into the works around the city as I withdraw one of the other 
commands from them. Make your headquarters in the city. Study Gen- 
eral Grant's works at all points, consider carefully all plans and possibil- 
ities, and then tell me what you can do, if anything, to help us in our di- 
lemma.' 

"The narrow space between Lee's and Grant's lines, the vigilance of the 
pickets who stood within speaking range of each other, and the heavily 
loaded guns which commanded every foot of the intrenchments, made the 
removal of one body of troops and the installing of another impracticable 
by daylight and quite hazardous even at night. We moved, however, cau- 
tiously through the city to the breastworks, and, as the other corps was 
secretly withdrawn, my command glided into the vacant trenches as softly 
and noiselessly as the smooth flow of a tiver." 

"The breastworks behind which stood the brave army in blue appeared 
to be as impenetrable by any force which Lee could send against them as is 
a modern ironclad to the missiles from an ordinary field battery ; but if 
there was a weak point in those defences, I was expected to find it. If 
such a point could be found, I was expected to submit to General Lee some 
plan by which it would be feasible, or at least possible, for his depleted 
army to assail it successfully. 

"Giving but few hours of the twenty-four to rest and sleep, I labored 
day and night at this exceedingly grave and discouraging problem, on the 
proper solution of which depended the commander's decision as to when 
and where he would deliver his last blow for the life of the Confederacy. My 
efficient staff — Majors Moore, Hunter, Dabney, and Pace, and Captains 
Markoe, Wilmer and Jones — were constantly engaged gathering information 
from every possible source. The prisoners captured were closely questioned, 
and their answere noted and weighed. Deserters from the Federal Army 
added valuable material to the information I was acquiring. 

"It required a week of laborious examination and intense thought to ena- 
ble me to reach any definite conclusion. Every rod of the Federal intrench- 
ments, every fort and parapet on the opposing lines of breastworks and 
on the commanding hills in the rear of them, every sunken path of the pickets 
and* every supporting division of infantry behind the works, had to be 
noted and carefully scrutinized. The character of the obstructions in front 
of each portion of the Union works had to be critically examined and an 
estimate made as to the time it would require to cut them away so that 
men could mount the breastworks or rush into the fort selected for our at- 
tack. The distance between the opposing works and the number of seconds 
or minutes it would require for my troops to rush across were important 
factors in estimating the chances of success or failure, and required the 
closest calculation. The decision as to the most vulnerable point for attack 
involved two additional questions of vital importance. The first was: 



Army of the Potomac. 7 

From what point on my own intrenchments could my assaulting column 
rush forth on its desperate night sally, with the least probability of arous- 
ing the sleeping foe? The second was: How many intervening ditches 
were there, and of what width and depth, over which my men were to leap 
or into which they might fall in the perilous passage? All these points con- 
sidered, I decided that Fort Stedman on Grant's lines was the most invit- 
ing point for attack and Colquitt's Salient on Lee's lines the proper place 
from which to sally. 

"The plan of the attack on Fort Stedman was fully developed in my own 
mind ; and whether it was good or bad , the responsibility of it was upon 
me, not because there was any indisposition on General Lee's part to make 
a plan of his own and order its execution, but because he had called me 
from the extreme right to his centre at Petersburg for this purpose. With 
him was the final decision — approval or rejection. 

"As soon as he was notified that I was ready to report, he summoned 
me to his quarters. After such a lapse of time I cannot give General Lee's 
exact words in so prolonged a conference, but the following questions and 
answers faithfully represent the substance of the interview. 

"'What can you do?' he asked. 

"'I can take Fort Stedman, sir.' 

"'How, and from what point?' 

"'By a night assault from Colquitt's Salient, and a sudden quick rush 
across ditches where the enemy's pickets are on watch, running over the 
pickets and capturing them, or, if they resist, using the bayonet.' 

" 'But the chevaux de frise protecting your front is, I believe, fastened to- 
gether at Colquitt's Salient with chains and spikes. This obstruction will 
have to be removed before your column of attack can pass out of your 
works. Do you think you can move these obstructions without attracting 
the attention of Union pickets which are only a few rods away? You are 
aware that they are especially vigilant at night, and that any unusual 
noise on your lines would cause them to give the alarm, arousing their men 
in the fort, who would quickly turn loose upon you their heavy guns loaded 
with grape and canister.' 

" ' This is a serious difficulty ; but I feel confident that it can be overcome. 
I propose to intrust the delicate task of getting our obstructions removed to 
a few select men, who will begin the work after dark, and, with the least 
possible noise, make a passageway for my troops by 4 a. m., at which hour 
the sally is to be made.' 

" 'But suppose you succeed in removing the obstructions in front of your 
own lines without attracting the attention of General Grant's pickets and 
get your column under full headway and succeed in capturing or killing the 
pickets before they can give the alarm ; you will have a still more serious 
difficulty to overcome when you reach the strong and closely built obstruc- 
tions in front of Fort Stedman and along the enemy's works. Have you as- 



8 Third Division, 'Ninth Corps, 

certained how tihese obstructions are made and thought of any way to get 
over them or through themV You know that a delay of even a few minutes 
would insure a consuming fire upon your men, who, while halting, would be 
immediately in front of the heavy guns in the fort.' 

" 'I recognize fully, General, the force of all you say; but let me explain. 
•Through prisoners and deserters I have learned during the past week all 
about the obstructions in front of General Grant's lines. They are exceeding- 
ingly formidable. They are made of rails, with the lower ends deeply bur- 
ied in the ground. The upper ends are sharpened and rest upon poles, to 
which they are fastened by strong wires. These sharp points are about 
breast high, and my men could not possibly get over them. They are about 
six or eight inches apart ; and we could not get through them. They are so 
securely fastened together and to the horizontal poles by the telegraph wires 
that we could not possibly shove them apart so as to pass them. There is 
but one thing to do. They must be chopped to pieces by heavy, quick blows 
with axes. I propose to select fifty brave and especially robust and ax-tive 
men, who will be armed only with axes. These axemen will rush across, 
closely followed by my troops, and will slash down a passage for my men al- 
most at a single blow. This stalwart force will rush into the fort with the 
head of my column, and, if necessary, use their axes instead of bayonets in 
any hand-to-hand conflict inside the fort. I think I can promise you. Gen- 
eral , that we will go into that fort ; but what we are going to do when we 
get in is the most serious problem of all.' 

"At this point General Lee discussed and carefully considered every phase 
of the hazardous programme. He expressed neither approval nor disapproval ; 
but he directed me to explain fully the further details of the plan on the sup- 
position that by possibility we could take Fort Stedman and the lines on 
each side of it. 

"The purpose of the movement was not simply the capture of Fort Sted- 
man and the breastworks flanking it. The prisoners and guns we might thus 
capture would not justify the peril of the undertaking. The tremendous pos- 
sibility was the disintegration of the whole left wing of the Federal army, or 
at least the dealing of such a staggering blow upon it as would disable it tem- 
porarily, enabling us to withdraw from Petersburg in safety and join John- 
ston in North Carolina. The capture of the fort was only the breasting of 
the first wave in the ocean of difficulties to be encountered. It was simply 
the opening of a road through the wilderness of hostile works nearest to us 
in order that my corps and the additional forces to be sent me could pass 
toward the rear of Grant's lines and then turn upon his flanks. 

"General Lee resumed his questions, saying in substance: 

"'Well, suppose you capture the fort, what are you going to do with the 
strong line of infantry in the ravine behind the fort and the three other forts 
in the rear which command Fort Stedman? Do you think you can carry 
those three forts by assault after General Grant's army has been aroused by 
your movements' 

"'Those forts, General, cannot be taken by direct assault when fully 



Army of the Potomac. 9 

manned, except at great sacrifice to our troops. In front of them is a net 
work of abatis which makes a direct advance upon them extremely difficult. 
There is, however, an open space in the rear of them, and if I can reach 
that space in the darkness with a sufficient number of men to overpower the 
guards, I can take those three forts also, without heavy loss. I suggest 
that we attempt their capture by a legitimate stratagem; if that fails, then 
at dawn to rush with all the troops available toward Grant's left, meeting 
emergencies as best we can. To accomplish much by such a movement, you 
would have to send me nearly or quite one-half of your army. I greatly pre- 
fer to try the stratagem, the success of which depends on a number of con- 
tingencies.' 

"He asked me to state fully each step in the programme, and I continued: 

" 'During the week of investigation I have learned the name of every offi- 
cer of rank in my front. I propose to select three officers from my corps, 
who are to command each a body of 100 men. These officers are to assume 
the names of three Union officers who are in and near Fort Stedman. When 
I have carried Fort Stedman, each of these selected officers is to rush in the 
darkness to the rear with his 100 men, shouting: The Rebels have carried 
Fort Stedman and our front lines. They are to maintain no regular order, 
but each body of 100 is to keep close to its leader. As these three officers 
strike the line of infantry in the rear of the fort and at different points , they 
will be halted ; but each of them will at once represent himself as the Union 
officer whose name he bears, and is to repeat: The Rebels have captured our 
works, and I am ordered by General McLaughlin to rush back to the fort in 
the rear and hold it at all hazards. 

" 'Each body of 100 men will thus pass the supporting line of Union infan- 
try and go to the rear of the fort to which I will direct his leader. They 
are to enter, overpower the Union guards, and take possession of the fort. 
Thus the three forts will be captured.' 

"General Lee asked if I thought my officers would each be able in the dark- 
ness to find the fort which he was seeking. I replied: 

" 'That depends. General, upon my ability to get proper guides. The trees 
have been cut down, the houses have been burned, and the whole topography 
of that portion of the field so changed that it will require men who are thor- 
oughly familiar with the locality to act as guides. I have no such men in my 
corps, and without proper guides my three detachments will be sacrificed after 
taking Fort Stedham and passing the rear line of infantry.' 

Again there was a long discussion of the chances and the serious difficulties 
in this desperate adventure. These were fully recognized by General Lee, as 
they had been by myself when the successive steps in the undertaking were 
formulated in my own mind. He said in substance: 'If you think after careful 
consideration, that you can probably carry Fort Stedman, and then get your 
three companies of 100 through the line of supporting infantry, I will en- 
deavor to find among the Virginia volunteers three men whose homes were on 



10 Third Division, JSlinth Corps, 

that part of the field where the rear forts stand, to act as guides to your 
thi-ee officers. I do not know of such men now, but willl at once make search 
for them.' 

"He directed me to proceed with the selection of my men for the different 
parts of the programme, but not to notify them until he had made search 
for the guides and had thought the whole plan over. Twenty-four hours 
later occurred the final conference before the attack. With the exception of 
the last council of war on the night before the surrender, I believe this 
conference on the night of March 23, 1865, was the most serious and im- 
pressive in my experience. General Lee had thought of all the chances ; 
he had found three men, whom he did not know in person, but who were 
recommended for the three guides ; he had selected different troops to send 
me from other corps, making, with mine, nearly one-half of his army, and 
had decided that we should make one supreme effort to break the cordon 
tightening around us. These troops were to come from Longstreet's and A. 
P. Hill's corps. A body of cavalry was to be sent me, which, in case we 
succeeded in getting into the three rear forts, was to ride across the broken 
gap at Fort Stedman, and then gallop to the rear, destroy Grant's rail- 
road and telegraph lines, and cut away his pontoons across the river, 
while the infantry swept down the rear of the Union intrenchments. 

"With full recognition by both the commander and myself of the hopeless- 
ness of our cause if we waited longer on General Grant's advance, and 
also of the great hazard in moving against him, the tremendous undertaking 
was ordered. 

"All night my troops were moving and concentrating behind Colquitt's Sa- 
lient. For hours Mrs. Gordon sat in her room in Petersburg, tearing strips 
of white cloth to tie across the breasts of the leading detachments, that they 
might recognize each other in the darkness and in the hand-to-hand battle 
expected at the Federal breastworks and inside the fort. 

"The fifty keen-edged axes were plaiced in the hands of the fifty brave and 
stalwart fellows who were to lead the column and hew down Grant's ob- 
structions. The strips of white cloth were tied upon them, and they were 
ready for the desperate plunge. 

"The chosen 300, in three companies, under the three officers bearing 
names of Union officers, were also bedecked with the white cotton Confederate 
scarfs. To each of these companies was assigned one of the three selected 
guides. I explained to the 300 men the nature of their duties, and told 
them that, in addition to the joy it would give them to aid in giving victory 
to the army, I would see to it, if the three forts were captured, that each 
of them should have a thirty days' furlough and a silver medal Although 
the rear forts were not captured , the failure was not the fault of the 300 ; 
and even to this day, nearly forty years afterward, I occasionally receive 
applif-ations for the medal, accompanied by the statement that I need not 
trouble myself to get the furlough, as they received that some days later at 
Appomattox. 

"The hour for the assault (4 a. m.) arrived. The column of attack was 
arranged in the following order, the 50 axemen in front, and immediately 



Army of the Potomac. 11 

behind and close to them the selected 300. Next came the different commands 
of infantry who were to move in compact column close behind the 300, the 
cavalry being held in reserve until the way for them was cleared. 

"While my preparations were progressing I received from General Lee the 
following note, which is here given because it was written with his own 
hand, and because it expresses the earnest prayer for our success which 
came from his burdened heart, and which he could not suppress even in this 
short semi-official communication: 

4:30 P. M., Hd. Qr. (24) March, '65. 

General: — I have received yours of 2:30 P. M. and telegraphed for Pickett's Divi- 
sion, but I do not think it will roach here in time. Still we will try. If you need 
more troops one or both of Heth's brigades can be called to Colquitt's Salient and 
Wilcox's to the Baxter road. Dispose of the troops as needed. I pray that a mer- 
ciful God will grant us success and deliver us from our enemies. Yours truly, 

R. E. LEE. 
Genl. J. B. Gordon, etc. 

P. S. — The Cavalry is ordered to report to you at Halifax road and Norfolk R. R. 
Iron Bridge at 3 A. M. tomorrow. W. F. Lee to be in vicinity of Monk's corner 
Road at 6 A. M. 

"All things ready, I stood at the top of the breastworks, with no one at 
my side except a single private soldier with rifle in hand, who was to fire 
the signal of the headlong rush. This night charge on the fort was to be 
across the intervening space covered with ditches, in one of which stood 
the watchful Federal pickets. There still remained near my works some of 
the debris of our obstructions, which had not been completely removed and 
which I feared might retard the rapid exit of my men ; and I ordered it 
cleared away. The noise made by this removal, though silent, attracted the 
attention of a Union picket who stood on guard only a few rods from me, 
and he called out: 

" 'What are you doing over there, Johnny? What is that noise? Answer 
quick or I'll shoot' 

"My troops stood in close column, ready for the hazardous rush upon 
Fort Stedman. While the fraternal dialogue in reference to drawing ra- 
tions from the corn field was progressing between the Union picket and the 
resourceful private at my side, the last of the obstructions in my front were 
removed, and I ordered the private to fire the signal for the assault He 
pointed his rifle upward, with his finger on the trigger, but hesitated. His 
conscience seemed to get hold of him. He was going into the fearful charge, 
and he evidently did not feel disposed to go into eternity with the lie on his 
lips, although it might be a permissible war lie, by which he had thrown the 
Union picket ofl: his guard. He evidently felt that it was hardly fair to take 
advantage of the generosity and soldierly sympathy of his foe, who had so 
magnanimously assured him that he would not be shot while drawing his 
rations from the little corn field. His hesitation surprised me, and I again 
ordered: 'Fire your gun, sir.' He at once called to his kind-hearted foe 
and said: 'Hello, Yank! Wake up; we are going to shell the woods. Look 
out ; we are coming,' And with this effort to satisfy his conscience and even 
up accounts with the Yankee picket, he fired the shot and rushed forward 
in the darkness. 



12 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

"As the solitary signal shot rang out in the stillness, my alert pickets, 
who had crept close to the Union sentinels, sprang like sinewy Ajaxes upon 
them and prevented the discharge of a single alarm shot. Had these faith- 
ful Union sentinels been permitted to fire alarm guns, my dense columns, 
while rushing upon the fort, would have been torn into fragments by the 
heavy guns. Simultaneously with the seizing and silencing of the Federal 
sentinels, my stalwart axemen leaped over our breastworks, closely follow- 
ed by the selected 300 and the packed column of infantry. Although it re- 
quired but a few minutes to reach the Union works, those minutes to me 
were like hours of suspense and breathless anxiety ; but soon was heard the 
thud of the heavy axes as my brave fellows slashed down the Federal ob- 
structions. The next moment the infantry sprang upon the Union breast- 
works and into the fort, overpowering the gunners before their destructive 
charges could be emptied into the mass of the Confederates. They turned 
this captured artillery upon the flanking lines on each side of the fort, 
clearing the T'nion breastworks of their defenders for some distance in 
both directions. Up to this point, the success had exceeded my most san- 
guine expectations. We had taken Fort Stedman and a long line of breast 
works on either side. We had captured nine heavy canon, eleven mortars, 
nearly 1,000 prisoners, including General McLaughlin, with the loss of less 
than a half dozen men. One of these fell upon the works, pierced through the 
body by a Federal bayonet, one of the few men thus killed in the four years 
of war. I M'as in the fort myself, and I'elieved General McLaughlin by as- 
suming command of Fort Stedman. 

"From the Fort I sent word to General Lee, who was on a hill in the 
rear, that we were in the works and that the 300 were on their way to the 
lines in the rear. Soon I received a message from one of these three offi- 
cers, I believe General Lewis of North Carolina, that he had passed the 
line of Federal infantry without trouble by representing himself as Colonel 

, of the Hundredth Pennsylvania, but that he could not find 

his fort, as the guide had been lost in the rush upon Stedman, I soon re- 
ceived a similar message from the other two, and so notified General Lee. 

"Daylight was coming. Through the failure of the three guides, we had 
failed to occupy the three forts in the rear, and they were now filled with 
Federals. Our wretched railroad trains had broken down, and the troops 
who were coming to my aid did not reach me. The full light of the morning 
revealed the gathering forces of Grant and the great* preponderance of his 
numbers. It was impossible for me to make further headway with my isolated 
corps, and General Lee directed me to withdraw. This was not easily ac- 
complished. Foiled by the failure of the guides, deprived of the great bodies 
of Infantry which Lee ordered to my support. I had necessarily stretched 
out my corps to occupy the intrenchments which we had captured. The 
other troops were expected to arrive and join in the general advance. The 
breaking down of the trains and the non-arrival of these heavy supports left 
me to battle alone with Grant's gathering and overwhelming forces, and at the 
same time to draw in my own lines toward Fort Stedman. A consuming fire 



Army of the Potomac, 13 

on both flanks and front during this withdrawal caused a heavy loss to my 
command. I myself was wounded, but not seriously, in recrossing the space 
over which we had charged in the darkness. Among the disabled was the 
gallant Brigadier-General Philip Cook of Georgia, who after the war repre- 
sented bis people in the United States Congress. 

"When the retreat to our works had ended, a report reached me that an en- 
tire Confederate regiment had not received the order to withdraw, and was 
still standing in the Union breastworks, bravely fighting. It was necessary 
to send them orders or to leave them to their fate. I called my staff around 
me, and explained the situations and the extreme danger the oSicer would en- 
counter in carrying that order. I stated to them that the pain I experienced 
in sending one of them on so perilous a mission was greater than I could 
express. Every one of them quickly volunteered to go ; but Thomas G. Jones 
of Alabama, insisted that as he was the youngest and had no special re- 
sponsibilities, it should fall to his lot to incur the danger. I bade him 
good-bye with earnest prayers that God would protect him, and without an 
apparent tremor he rode away. A portion of the trip was though a literal 
furnace of fire, but he passed through it, both going and returning, without 
a scratch. 

"This last supreme effort to break the hold of General Grant upon Pe- 
tersburg and Richmond was the expiring struggle of the Confederate giant, 
whose strength was nearly exhausted and whose limbs were heavily shackled 
by the most onerous conditions. Lee knew, as we all did that the chances 
against us were as a hundred is to one ; but we remembered how George 
Washington, with his band of ragged rebels, had won American independence 
through trials and sufferings and difficulties , and although they were far less 
discouraging and insurmountable than those around us, they were neverthe- 
less many and great. It seemed better, therefore, to take the one chance, 
though it might be one in a thousand, rather than to stand still while the 
little army was being depleted, its vitality lessening with each setting sun, 
and its life gradually ebbing, while the great army in its front was growing 
and strengthening day by day. To wait was certain destruction ; it could not 
be worse if we tried and failed. The accidents and mishaps which checked 
the brilliant assault made by my brave men, and which rendered their fur- 
ther advance impossible, could not have been anticipated. But for those ad- 
verse happenings, it would seem that we might have won on that single 
chance. 

"This spasm of Confederate aggressive vigor inaugurated the period of more 
than two weeks of almost incessant battle, beginning on the morning of 
March 25th with the charge of my troops at Petersburg, and ending with 
the last charge of Lee's army, made by those same men on the morning of 
April 9th at Appomattox." 

It is not the intention of the writer to give a full history of the battle of 

Fort Stedman, but merely to describe that portion of the battle in which the 

Third Division took part. To understand the situation we must know that 

there was a series of forts, batteries and entrenchments, extending in a 3-4 

2 



14 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

circle around the city of Petersburg, reaching from the Appomattox River 
on the right to the South Side Railroad, which ran from Petersburg to Lynch- 
burg, on the left, — a distance probably of 12 miles. These fortifications 
were occupied by the Army of the Potomac. Opposed to them was an equally 
strong line of defense occupied by the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. 
The nearest Union forts were within two miles of the city of Petersburg it- 
self ; and the first Union fort on the right, situated on the Appomattox River, 
was Fort McGilvery. This fort was connected by strong entrenchments 
with battery No. 9; then by more etrenchments to Battery No. 10, which in 
turn was connected in the same manner to Fort Stedman. To the left of 
Fort Stedman was Battery No. 11 and Battery No. 12, likewise connected by 
fortifications to Fort Haskell. And as these forts and batteries were all of 
the line within the Fort Stedman fight, it will not be necessary to mention 
the forts still further on the left. 

We must remember that General Gordon states that, finding the enemy 
in superior force, General Lee ordered him to withdraw. The conditions of 
the Federal forces when the enemy had captured Fort Stedman, — Battery 
No. 10 and Batteries Nos. 11 and 12 — were as follows: 

Battery No. 9 and the troops at that point held fast and were pouring a 
destructive fire into the left flank of the enemy ; Fort Haskell and the troops 
stationed there held fast and were pouring a destructive fire into the enemy's 
right flank; but, as a matter of fact, in Gordon's front there was no in- 
fantry to prevent him from moving forward and capturing Meade's station 
and the Military Railroad, except the 200th and 209th regiments of the 
The Third Division. And there was in addition only the Dunn House Bat- 
tery and Fort Friend. A rapid advarice by General Gordon would have ta- 
ken his men out of the destructive enfilading fire which was making such 
havoc in his ranks. Gordon probably had 4,000 men whom he could have 
put into the assaulting column, and he could still have retained enough 
of his troops to have protected his flanks. The 200th and 209th regiments 
had probably a total of 1200 men. 

As soon as General Hartranft was advised of the attack on Fort Sted- 
man. he galloped to the field of action, and sent his staff oflicers to his va- 
rious regiments, ordering them to come to the battlefield on the double- 
quick. The 200th and 209th were almost directly in the rear of Fort Sted- 
man and were probably half a mile away. Arriving on the battlefield, 
General Hartranft was quick to perceive the situation and as prompt to 
act. He saw the gap in the Union line now oacupied by the enemy ; he 
saw the enemy turning the guns which they had captured in Fort Stedman 
and Batteries Nos. 10 and 11 against our line; he saw the Confederate 
forces in superior numbers advancing towards Meade's Station, and the 
Military Railroad. He did not hesitate a moment to throw his 200th and 
209th regiments into the breach ; he did not wait to be attacked — instead he 
attacked. The 209th was ordered to the right of the 200th , in the hope that 
it could connect with troops still further to the right, aud get a line estab- 
lished there. The 200th advanced most gallantly against the (n-(>r\\ helming 



Army of the Potomac. 15 

forces of the euemy. They were exposed to a withering fire of musketry and 
grape and canister, and lost over 117 men in less than twenty minues. 
They were thrown back by the overwhelming odds against them, but 
when again ordered to charge, they assailed the enemy with the greatest 
bravery, and when again repulsed by superior numbers, they took up a 
line under cover of some old entrenchments. There they stayed ; and nei- 
their Gordon's superior numbers, nor his heavy battery fire, could move 
them an inch. 

The 209th regiment, to the right, was less exposed; but from behind 
some defences they kept the enemy from advancing on their front: 

While these two regiments were holding the Confederates at bay, General 
Hartranft had placed the 205th, the 207th and the 20Sth in a ravine and on 
the right flank of the advancing enemy Vv'ho had captured Batteries 11 and 
12. All of Hartranft's regiments were up, and were now in action ex- 
cept the 211th regiment whose camp was 5 miles away. They were coming 
as fast as blood and sinew could bring them. General Hartranft must 
have had an anxious hour while awaiting the arrival of this last regiment. 
Like Napoleon looking for Grouchy, like Wellington looking for Blucher, 
Hartranft cast his eyes in the direction from which he expected the troops 
of the 211th. The question was, could the 200th and 209th hold the en- 
emy in check untill he got his reinforcement up. At last his eye cleared: 
the 211th was in sight: It must have been an inspiration to the gallant 
soldier at that trying moment, when as he says in his article on Fort 
Stedman, "At 7:30 o'clock the long line of the 211th lifted itself with ca- 
denced step over the brow of the hill and swept down in magnificent style 
toward Fort Stedman. Now he was ready to assume the offensive. Plac- 
ing the 211th regiment in regimental front on a high hill overlooking the 
battlefield and in full sight of the enemy, he told them to flaunt their col- 
ors in the face of the foe. and so to attract their fire. In this endeavor they 
succeeded, for the first shell from the enemy killed and wounded several 
men in the ranks. 

When the men had recovered their wind, General! Hartranft sent orders 
to all of his regiments to advance and retake Fort Stedman and the captured 
line. The advance of the 211th was to be the signal for the general charge. 
At the given signal the men in each regiment rushed to the assault. With a 
great shout they charged home, closed with the enemy, recaptured Fort 
Stedman and all of the line lost in the morning ; and they recaptured all of 
the cannon taken by the enemy, took 194.0 prisoners, including 72 commis- 
sioned officers, and captured seven stand of colors. 

The loss to the enemy in the whole battle was 2681, killed and wounded. 

For the winning of such a great victory General Hartranft was promoted 
on the field of action to be a Major General, and in recognition of what the 
new Division had done. General Parke, the Corps Commander, issued the 
following complimentary order: 



16 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

"Headquarters, Ninth Army Corps, 

March 26th, 1865. 
"General Orders 
No. 3. 
"At four a. m. on March 2uth In&taut, the enemy, having massed three Divisions 
In front of Fort Stedman, in the line of the third Brigade, First Division, of this 
Corps, by a sudden rush broke the picket line, and after a gallant defence by the 
garrison of Fort Stedman, overpowered It and gained possession of the fort and a por- 
tion of the parapet on either side. He then assaulted Fort Haskell and Battery 9, 
but was repulsed with much loss. He attempted to advance toward the railroad, but 
was speedily checked, and First, Third Division, coming up, he was forced back to 
the Fort. From thence he was soon driven by a charge of the Third Division and 
the Second and Third Brigades, First Division, with the loss of many killed and 
w'ounded, 1941 prisoners. Including 71 commissioned officers and nine stand colors, 
and the entire line seized by him was reoccupied. 

"The Major General commanding congratulates the Corps on the auspicious re- 
sult. It will be a source of pride to him and them that so heavy and' desperate an 
attack upon their line was repelled by them before the arrival of the supports promptly 
and cordially furnished from the other Corps. The gallantry and steadiness of the 
troops engaged, which so brilliantly retrieve- a momentary disaster and converted 
It into a victory, merit and receive his warmest gratitude and commendation. 

"The Artillery in position bearing on the line held by the enemy and the reserve 
Batteries under the personal supervision of Brevt. Brigadier General Tldball, chief 
of Artillery, did prompt and very efficient service, and inflicted severe damage upon 
the enemy. 

"To Brigadier General J. F. Hartranft, Commanding Third Division, who had 
charge of the assult, great credit Is due, and his Division Is specially congratulated 
on the distinguished success which their good conduct has met with in this their first 
engagement. 

"The steadiness and courage of the troops upon the flanks of Fort Stedman, who 
held their position despite the breaking of their nine, are deserving of great praise, 
and the Major General Commanding takes occasion to impress upon the Corps the lesson 
enforced by the example of their brave comrades of the First Division, that a line 
broken is not carried, and that by promptly rallying and tenaciously holding the po- 
sition so flanked, the enemy may be made to pay dearly for his temerity. 

JOHN G. PARKE, 
Major General Commanding. 

After the battle a truce was made to permit the removal of the wounded 
and the burial of the dead. The Third Division had gone into the fight a 
body of untried soldiers; they had come out of it recognized as a fighting 
division. 

While every regiment in the Third Division had in the Stedman fight 

done the duty assigned to it and had done it in a most gallant manner, 

there is no question but that the honors of the day belonged to the 2(X)th. 

They had been given the place of honor, and they had covered themselves 

with glory. With probably less than 600 men they had been ordered to 

charge a victorious enemy probably seven times their superior in numbers. 

They were required to make this charge under a withering fire of musketry 

and artillery ; they had been checked by the very weight of the lead thrown 

against them; they had rallied and had charged again after losing 117 

men in less than twenty minutes of fighting; and then, securing some 

sUight protection, they had stopped the enemy in their tracks and had held 

them there until Hartranft could get the other regiments on to the field. 

Nothing could exceed the gallantry of their advance, except the dogged 

pertinacity which the regiment showed in holding fast after being so terriblly 

cut to pieces. 



Army of the Potomac. 17 

It is a hundred years since the Battle of Waterloo. When one goes over 
the field today he is told "Here is the place where General Pach advanced 
before the 92nd Regiment, and said: 'You must charge all of these troops 
in your front, and do it in your own way.'" He is shown the place 
where the French grenadiers of the Guard died, but would not surrender. 
He is told of the prodigious acts of valor performed on the field of bat- 
tle. Waterloo was a much greater battle than the Battle of Fort Sted- 
man ; but I believe that the deeds of valor perforaied by the officers and 
men of the 200th regiment at Fort Stedman were equal to those performed 
by the troops at Waterloo. The bravery of the 200th and 209th regi- 
ments, which held the enemy's advance in check, lost the battle for Gen- 
eral Gordon and won it for General Hartranft. 

While the place of honor had been assigned to the 200th, it is also to be 
shared with the 209th. They were ordered to charge the same enemy, in 
the same superior numbers, as were the 200th ; they were exposed to the 
same destructive fire of musketry and artillery. But Colonel Frederick 
had wisely chosen ground which gave better protection to his men, and 
therefore their loss was not so great and they did not receive the same 
intensity of the attack as did the 200th. They, like the 200th, stopped 
the enemy in their tracks and held them there until the 211th arrived. 

The 205th, 207th and 20Sth had been thrown into a ravine in front of 
the captured lines, and gave a good account of themselves by pouring a 
flanking- fire into the enemy and helped to prevent the further advance of 
Gordon's troops. In the final charge for the recovery of the captured line, 
every regiment in the Division performed its part with great bravery and 
great gallantry. 

The troops were now returned to their several camps but hardly had 
they had time to wash the stains of battle from their persons and close 
up the shattered ranks, when they were called to perform new deeds of 
valor. 

General Grant's plan at this time was to overlap Lee's right flank. If 
Gordon had succeeded at Fort Stedman, Grant would have been obliged to 
delay his flanking plans; but Gordon having failed, Grant pushed forward 
his left. 

General Grant found it necessary to order an assault on Lee's centre 
(although the fortifications were considered impregnable) to prevent Lee 
from moving all of his forces to attack Grant's left wing. The place se- 
lected for the assault was Fort Sedgwick on the Union line. As I have 
sketched before the line of forts from the Appomatox to Fort Haskell, I 
will now give those only still further to the Union left. Next to Fort 
Haskell was Morton, then Fort Michel; then Fort Rice; then Fort Sedg- 
wick: and then Fort Davis. Fort Sedgwick covered the front over which 
the Third Division made their attack on April 2nd. All of these forts were 
connected by batteries and a solid line of heavy entrenchments. Fort Sedg- 
wick was on the well-known Jerusalem plank-road. It was in such an ex- 



18 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

posed position tliat it had been named by the soldiers "Fort Hell." Oppo- 
site to it, and half a mile distant, was the Confederate Fort Mahone, 
called by the Confederate soldiers "Fort Damnation." The ground sloped 
from each of these forts across an open field to a little stream which ran 
about equi-distant from each fort. Along this depression were the two 
picket lines, almost in touch with one another, hardly a stone's throw apart. 
Both Fort Sedgwick and Fort Mahone w.ts surrounded on the three exposed 
sides by a deep ditch filled with water ; each fort was protected by abatis 
and chevaux-de-frise. These positions were considered impregnable to 
frontal attacks. 

When General Hartranft received his orders to prepare for an as.sault at 
this pniut he assembled his tield and staff officers and explained to them 
his plan of battle in great detail. General Hartranft was a very careful of- 
ficer as well as a bold commander. He had made models of chevaux-de-frise , 
and nbatis; he showed the commanders of the pioneer corps how to cut 
the wire at the intersection of the panels of the chevaux-de-frise and how to 
get the gaps open as quickly as possible ; he showed them just where the axes 
should fall on the abatis to be most effective ; he had the distances marked 
between the forts, between the lines of abatis, between the chevaux-dc-frise 
and between the picket lines; and he explained to all of the ofRcers how nec- 
essary it would be to take the assaulting column to their position in ab- 
solute silence ; how much depended on capturing all of the enemy's pick- 
ets, so that no alarm could be tarried to the forts. 

Then he explained that the troops would need to be formed in column 
with regimental front. They would have to be in close column, to save 
ground ; the men might have to lie close to our picket line under a heavy 
general fire of shot and shell for several hours before the assault would be 
made. He cautioned all of the officers to have wounded men removed quickly 
to t}:e rear through the sunken trenches used by the picket detail, and so 
to avoid alarming the enemy. 

The General then said: "Gentlemen, at the given signal, to be arranged 
for hereafter, a heavy advance line will capture the enemy's picket; at the 
same time the pioneer corps will move rapidly forward and make a way 
through the rhevatix-de-frise and abatis for the assaulting column to pass 
through. The troops are to keep closv; to the axe-men, but are not to make 
any noise until the gaps are open. Then they are to ;charge ; no guns are to 
be fired ; they are to depend absolutely upon the bayonet." 

Before the General had finished his instructions, the face of every offi- 
cer in the room showed how ab.solutely certain they felt that failure and 
defeat would follow such an attempt. But General Hartranft closed with 
these words: "As impossible as the result may seem to you, gentlemen, I 
feel sure that if the troops will behave with the same bravery in this fight 
that they showed at Fort Stedman, we will succeed." The faces of the offi- 
cers cleared. They were at once inspired by the confidence of their General, 
and questions came from all directions, asking just how such and such a 
difficulty should be met. 



Artny of the Potomac. 19 

The next few days were not pleasant to look forward to. On the night 
of March 3<)lh the First Brigade was massed in the rear of the Avery 
House (Division Headquarters), and the Second Brigade in the, rear of 
Fort Frescott, preparatory to being led to their assaulting positions. The 
Union and Confederate guns along the whole line commenced at 10 o'clock 
m the evening such a bombardment as had never been seen on that line be- 
fore. Colonel John C. Tidball, Chief of Artillery, says, in his otucial re- 
port, that never before had so much powder been expended within the same 
length of time. The cannonade lasted from 10 p. m. to 1 a. m. Three 
hundred guns and motors filled the air with shot and shell. The constant 
hail made it most uncomfortable for the troops; for, although the firing 
was not very destructive, it is exceedingly nerve-racking for men to lie 
for hours under such a fire, in anticipation of going to the assault. 

At 2:45 a. m. the troops returned to their camps. Things were not yet 
ready on the extreme left, so the assault was delayed. 

On April 1st, at 11 p. m. , the Division was marched to a position near 
Fort Sedgwick. At o a. m. the assaulting column moved to the slope in 
front of the fort and as near as possible to our own picket line. The men 
stole into their positions in absolute silence. The 2nd brigade were as- 
signed the post of honor, together with the 20Sth regiment from the first 
brigade. The 207th were the first in the column of regimental front ; then 
in close order came the 20.5th, 211th, and 20Sth ; the 200th and 209th 
were held in reserve. At 4 a. m. all of the guns on our front opened up a 
terrific fire over the heads of our men in the assaulting column, who were 
lying down. At 4:20 a. m. the guns stopped firing; there was the stillness 
of death, and the men knew that the time had come. 

At 4:30 there were three quick shots,— the signal to advance. A strong 
body of troops rushed forward and captured the enemy's pickets: The pio- 
neer corps, with drawn axes, were behind them, and the assaulting col- 
umn was close to the axe-men. So far everything had been done quietly and 
effectively; but at the first stroke of the axes on the ehcvnux-de-jrisc the 
enemy knew what was coming, and were ready for us. They opened up a 
most terrific fire of musketry, grape, canister, and shrapnel. Our men were 
soon through the openings made for them l)y the pioneer corps, but in 
passing through these gaps the regimental formations were thrown into con- 
fusion. The men, however, pressed intrepidly forward. Once past the 
chevaux-de-frise and abatis, the troops arose to the assault. It was nec- 
essary to get to close quarters with the enemy as quickly as possible, as the 
men had only the bayonet to depend upon. For a moment the men were 
protected from the full force of the enemy's fire by the depression in the 
ground, but as they advanced further up the hill they were met by a sheet 
of lead which threatened to destroy every man in the assaulting column. 
Great gaps were made in the close-formed ranks ; headff were cut off as if 
mowed down by an immense scythe ; it did not seem possible for the men to 
advance against such a withering fire; nevertheless, they pressed forward 
with a despperate courage that was magnificent. 



20 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

The men moved forward rapidly, and were soon out of the worst of the 
artillery fire, as the guns in the fort could not be depressed enough to 
reach them when close ; but they were now opposed by a destructive fire of 
musketry. It was but a moment before our men were up to the enemy's 
breastwork , and then a fierce hand-to-hand fight took place until the enemy 
were killed or captured, or until they retreated to their secondary line of 
defence. That desperateness of the hand-to-hand fighting is proved by the 
fact that our men captured three standards on the enemy's entrenchments. 
The head of the column struck the Confederate line to the right of Fort 
Mahone. It then divided; part of the column passed to the left and cap- 
tured Fort Mahone in flank, and part of it passed to the right and captured 
Miller's Salient in flank. The 200th and 209th came forward at this point 
and helped in this attack, with Harriman's brigade from the First Division. 
The gap which had been opened included Miller's Salient on the right, with 
four guns; Fort Mahone on the left, with four guns, and the entrenchments 
between them,— a distance probably of one-eighth of a mile. Along 
these entrenchments were posted field batteries, which upon the advance 
of our men retreated to a formidable secondary line of defence. 

Wihen our men had captured the enemy's line, then, for the first time that 
morning, did they pour a volley of musketry into the retreating foe. The 
enemy fell back to a new line of forts and fortifications, which they had 
carefully prepared for just such an emergency. From this new line they 
opened up a fierce fire from their artillery, field guns and infantry. 

Our victory consisted in the capture of Fort Mahone, Miller's Salient, and 
the fortifications connecting them, about 400 prisoners, eight cannon, and 
three stand of colors. Our column had met with such a severe loss, and 
was so shattered and so scattered, that it was not deemed advisable to at- 
tempt an assault on the second line. 

It has been said that Lee's line was very thin at the point where we at- 
tacked. Whether this be so or not, I do know this; that he had plenty of 
men to work all of his artillery, and a good force of men were collected be- 
hind the new defences. The fact that we captured 400 prisoners shows 
that the line was fairly well manned. 

The line which we had captured was almost untenable. Some of the en- 
emy's batteries held fast on the flanks of the gap which we had opened, and 
from that position were pouring a most destructive fire on our men. Later 
these batteries were silenced by a concentrated fire from some of our guns 
collected at Fort Rice and Fort Davis ; but while the firing lasted it was 
most destructive. The guns wo had captured from the enemy were soon 
turned against their former masters; artillerists and ammunition were car- 
ried forward, and we soon had a formidable line to oppose to the defensive 
line of the enemy, which outclassed us in the heavier calibre of their guns. 
Fort Mahone was opened up on the side toward the enemy's second line, and 
their guns commanded it. It therefore became necessary for our men to fight 
from the traverses in the fort. 

At 11 a. m. the enemy made a determined effort to retake the captured 
line: it was repulsed, with great loss to themselves. At 1 p. m. they made 



Army of the Potomac. 21 

another determined effort to retake the line: again they w^re repulsed with 
great loss. At 3 p. m. General Lee ordered a superior force to attack our 
much exposed left flauk at Fort Mahone. The flank crumbled away, and we 
lost some prisoners; but reinforcements coming up strengthened and stif- 
fened this flank, and before another assault could be arranged General Lee 
had ordered the attacking forces to be withdrawn. 

From this time until dark both sides kept up a steady fire. Under cover 
of night the troops of the Third Division were slightly withdrawn in reserve 
of the fighting front, and new troops took their places. Our men had been 
fighting hard since 4:20 a. m.,— fighting for over 16 hours. Efforts were 
made to reorganize the regimental formation, but the exhausted troops 
dropped to the ground, the living sleeping quietly beside those who had 
fallen on the field of battle and now slept the sleep of death. 

The chevaux-de-frise surrounding Fort Mahone was pushed in front of our 
new line, gaps were Allied up in the entrenchments which had been demol- 
ished by cannon fire, and the line was put in shape for defense on the mor- 
row. A desultory fire was kept up between the opposing forces during the 
night . 

The honors of the day fell to the pioneer corps, the second brigade and 
the 208th regiment, which had been designated as the assaulting column, 
and the confidence reposed in them had been amply justified. 

I have always thought it a generous act on the part of General Hart- 
ranft to give the post of honor to the Second Brigade. He knew that the 
success of the attack depended on the staunchness of the head of the col- 
umn ; he had tried the 200th and 209th and had found them true as tempered 
steel: naturally he might have wanted them at the brunt of the battle; 
but he showed his absolute confidence in the 207th when he put them at the 
post of danger. And it seemed to me, as I saw the Third Division on this 
attack, that they were a column of intrepid determined, and brave men, 
who moved with a rapidity and force that no storm of musketry, canister,' 
or grape could stop. Most of the men carried their guns at a trail, ready 
to use the bayonet, to use the gun as a club, or to use it to send a volley 
after the enemy if they succeeded in driving them out of their works. To 
stop seemed instant death: their only safety was to get up and grapple with 
the foe. The line officers led their troops with the greatest gallantry; the 
men responded nobly. The pioneer corps had orders to make the gaps and 
retire. But proof that they M-ent forward on the fighting line is shown by 
the fact that Lieut. A. A. Alexander, their leader, was mortally wounded 
on the enemy's ramparts. While great credit is due to General Hartranft for 
the arrangement of every detail, the victory belonged to the men. It was 
the men's fight. 

The 200th and 209th had been sent to the attack with Harriman's brig- 
ade, to the right of the Third Division at Miller's Salient. They were on 
the fighting line during the whole day, and they amply justified their name 
for valor cstahlislied at Fort St(>(lman. TIio Third Division had won their 
second great victory against what were considered impossible odds. Gen- 



22 



Third Division, Ninth Corps, 



u-al Hartranft says, i„ his official report, that probably the 207th ano 
-nth had the severest test. The official re-ords show that the 211th Re<'i- 
mient captured and turned in a flag belonging to the 45th North Carolina 
Regiment, and one belonging lo the 61st Alabama Regiment. This is proof 
that they grappled with the enemy at close quarters. The 205th Regiment 
report shows that they also had captured a flag. 

At 3 A. M. April 3rd, explosions were heard in the direction of Peters- 
burg. The explosions indicated a withdrawal of the enemy. Our men were 
at once on the qui vive. At 4 a. m. General Hartranft pushed forward a 
skirmishing line, which found the enemy's lines abandoned, -some field 
guns still in their embrasures-a few dummies, to deceive our own men- 
and some dead whom the enemy had been unable to bury. The skirmish line 
moved rapidly forward : it arrived at the outskirts of the city at 4-30 a m 
and then the^ columns of regiments marched, with flying colors, through 
the city of Petersburg,-the valient "Cockade City" which had held the 
Army of the Potomac at bay for over ten months. 

Col. Ely, of Wilcox's first division of the Ninth Army Corps had 
marched into the city by the river road, a shorter route, and to him the city 
was surrendered. But there is no doubt that General Hartranft's Division 
marched into the South end of the city at the same time that Col Ely en- 
tered on the North side. 

The 211th Regiment was immediately sent to guard the bridges over the 
Appomattox, and to put out some fires which had been started by the re- 
treating enemy. The 209th was ordered to get in touch with the Sixth 
Corps on the left of our position. Wilcox's Division was assigned to guard 
the city. The Third Division were returned to their camps, and were made 
ready for marching orders. By 3 p. m. the whole Division again marched 
through the ciry and thence followed the South Side Railroad in pursuit 
of the enemy. That night they camped at Sutherlands, eight miles from 
Petersburg. The Division never again came in fighting contact with the 
enemy. Grant's troops on the left were in the field of action, so the Divi- 
sion.— plodded doggedly along throuah Nottaway Court House until they 
reached Burksville Junction, and there they received the news of Lee's sur- 
render. 

On April 20th the men started on their return trip to City Point whence 
they were transported by boat to their new camps near Alexandria Ya 
Now began the disintegration of the Division. General Hartranft was 
placed m charge of the Lincoln conspirators, and General John J Curtin 
assumed command of the Division; Colonels of regiments were promoted to 
Brigadiers for gallant services rendered at Fort Stedman and Petersburg 
and were assigned to staff duties. The men were especially fitted for the 
part they were now to take in the great review of the Grand Army. Al- 
though the ranks were thinned and decimated, I am convinced that our -reat 
War Governor, Andrew G. Curtin, felt proud of his men of the Third 
Division, as with martial tread and alignment true they swept past, flaunt- 
ing their tattered flags which he had entmsted to their care, and which 




Major A. C Huidekoper of Meadville, Pennsylvania. Chief Marshall 

of Parade at the unveiling of the monuments ar 

Forts Stedman and Mahono. 



Army of the Potomac. 23 

they had carried so proudly to victory. Governor Curtin's stand was 
reached before the grand reviewing stand occupied by General Grant. 

Corrobative testimony is always acceptable and strengthening in a case 
like this especially when it comes from an officer outside of the Third Di- 
vision. 

Major Edward P. Brown who served in the 4th Rhode Island infantry, 
a most cultured, generous and brave otHcer, who had participated in the 
battles of South Mountain, Antietam, Fl-edericksburg, the seige of Suffolk, 
Virginia, the mine explosion of the crater at Petersburg, Virginia, and 
who had participated in the fights at Welden Railroad, Peoples Farm, 
Dalby Millls, and who served in the trenches before Petersburg, Virginia, 
for over eight months says in a letter he wrote to the Battlefield commis- 
sion. 

"To the Pennsylvania Regiments of Hartrauft's Division, more than to any 
other body of men, this country owes a debt of gratitude for the wonderful 
performance at Fort Mahone. During all of my careers in the army of the 
Potomac, commencing with early in July 1862, I never saw more gallant 
and heroic conduct than was exhibited by the officers and men of that divi- 
sion . " — Huidekoper . 

After the grand review, accounts were hastily made out, the rolls for 
final discharge were prepared, and on June 2, 1865, the men of the Third 
Division passed into civil life. 

In some respects the Third Division had an unique experience in the an- 
nals of the War. From the time they entered the trenches at Bermuda Hun- 
dred they were never out from under the fire of the enemy's guns, either by 
day or by night, until after Lee's surrender. They fought two hard battles 
and won two victories. Some of the greatest assaults in history, such as the 
charge of Napoleon's guards at Waterloo, or Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, 
or the assault at the Crater, Petersburg, Va., failed to succeed: the assault 
of the line at Fort Mahone, considered an impregnable position, was a suc- 
cess. The battle of Fort Stedman and the Petersburg fight at Fort Sedg- 
wick will probably never receive the credit to which they are entitled in the 
history of the Civil War. These victories occurred at points so near to- 
gether and within such a short time before the final surrender of General 
Lee, that they were engulfed and overshadowed by the bigger events. But 
any man who was in either the fight at Stedman or Sedgwick is entitled to 
have his name inscribed high on the scroll which records the deeds of brave 
men. 



24 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

THE SURVIVORS 



By MAJOR ISAAC B. BROWN. 21 1th 

When an army has been disbanded, and its soldiers scattered, it is a dif- 
ficult problem to write a history of its survivors. Probably the scenes inci- 
dent to the dawn of peace at Appomattox have never been equalled in the 
history of the armies of the world. The great Union and Ck)nfederate armies 
stacked arms; the survivors of both the blue and gray extended fraternal 
greetings, partook of hardtack, and drank from the same canteen, while 
their invincible and chivalric commanders arranged the details of the sur- 
render, and the dissolution of the Confederate Army began. 

The Union Army, flushed with victory, commenced the homeward march, 
to be soon dissolved and melted away into the ranks of American citizenship , 
the survivors entered into the various pursuits of life, never again to reas- 
semble as a formidable army at the sound of the nation's inspiring martial 
music. There was joy at the going home, not however, free from the tinge 
of sadness for those who remained behind in the long deep blessed sleep of 
the battlefield's holy ground, such sadness being accentuated by the assassi- 
nation of Abraham Lincoln just at the close of the great conflict. Thus the 
great armies of the Union were discharged, and with these armies also went 
back into civil life the survivors of the Third Division, Ninth Corps, Army 
of the Potomac. This body of men, as is well known, was composed en- 
tirely of Pennsylvanians, and constituted an entire division, to the com- 
mand ot which in the fall of 1864 was assigned John Frederick Hartranft, 
a most distinguished soldier of the Keystone State. All of the troops consti- 
tuting the division were what was known during the Civil War as 'short term 
troops,' that is their term of enlistment covered a period of a year, and 
that the last year of the war, 

Theie was commendable modesty in the conduct of the survivors of this 
division, as they felt that the veterans of the Civil War who had served 
for a longer period were first entitled to the commendation of the people, 
and they did not therefore feel that their organization should be perpetu- 
ated, or that they should meet in annual reunions out of deference to those 
who had rendered longer service to the government in the time of its peril. 
While this feeling permeated the minds of the survivors of the division, all 
were conscious of the fact that the duties which had devolved upon them 
in their one year's service had been discharged with fidelity in time of bat- 
tle, and with a heroism which all must concede to be of the highest char- 
acter, and that while other organizations from Pennsylvania may have 
rendered greater services and suffered greater sacrifices, it was only 
through the fortunes of war that this occurred, and it may be said that 
some of the regiments of the division in their one year's service suffered 
greater losses in battle than some other regiments that rendered three 



Armij of tJie Potomac. 25 

year's service to the government. For this reason the relentless march of 
time carried the survivors of the division far into and otten past the meri- 
dian of life before even an attempt was made too hold either regimental or 
divisional reunions. This lapse of time produced so marked a change in tlie 
appearance of the survivors that even though they may have met. they 
were not able to recognize each other. 

In the summer of 1864, when the boys who so largely constituted the rank 
and file of the division enlisted, there were many who had uot completed 
their education, but immediately after their return from the war they 
entered seminaries, colleges and universities, from which many graduated 
with credit to themselves, and added to their standing as soldiers by re- 
ceiving diplomas from educational institutions. The greater number 
however, of the survivors returned to the farm, the forest, the factories' 
or to mercantile pursuits, while thousands heard the slogan of the western 
States 'Westward the star of empire takes its course,' and sought their 
fortunes in the far west beyond the Mississippi and Missouri, in that then 
great undeveloped country, there to help develop its material interests and 
build up the great Pacific Empire, the history of which has been written 
only since the close of the Civil War. 

Occasionally the survivors have gleaned some knowledge of those who 
had been their comrades, as in the busy whirl of life some have risen to 
eminence in business, professional or political life. No small number of 
the survivors have become eminent in the legal, medical and other profes- 
sions, while others have gained political preferment, many in municipal 
and state affairs, in the halls of legislation, in the national congress, and 
in the diplomatic coips of the United States. Others have gained great 
business success and accumulated fortunes. The greater number, however 
have followed conservative lines, and have usually reflected credit upon 
American citizenship. Like pebbles sown along old ocean's melancholy 
waste were the survivors of the Division, scattered throughout the oroad 
land, no longer feeling the touch of a comrade's elbow, or hearing the 
sound of the voices that in the long ago years gladdened them upon the 
field of action. Thus nearly three decades passed in the onward march 
of time without any organized reassembling of the Survivors of the Divi- 
sion. During these three decades the old division commander, Gen Har- 
tranft, had been greatly honored in civil life, having been Auditor General 
and Chief Executive of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was prom- 
inently mentioned as a candidate for President of the United States and he 
had been Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic' All of 
these honors showered upon Hartranft brought happiness to the homes of 
the Survivors of his old division. For his gallantry in the siege of Peters- 
burg, the carnage of Fort Stedman, and the memorable assault on Fort 
Mahone, made such a deep impression that the hearts of the survivors 
throbbed with joy at the honors bestowed upon the worthy life of their 
commander, and his figure on his famous war horse at the h^ad of his 
troops was always vivid in their memories. 



26 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

During the advance of time the Division it is true, had lost its identity. 
It existed only as a reminiscence in the minds of those who at one time 
formed it, and in the history of the nation's victorious soldiers. Since the 
close of the Civil War there have been times when the survivors were con- 
scious of the fact that the nation needed the strong hands of its soldiers to 
either meet in conflict with other nations, or to assist in making up a 
formidable army that the nation might be strong enough to assert itself 
among all the nations of the world, and these survivors would have again 
gladly responded. There have been times also when a considerable number 
of the survivors have been conscious of the fact that things have not been 
going well with the country whose perpetuity they hoped was established 
by the verdict delivered on the field of Appomattox, and they would have 
gladly risen in their might to assist in restoring the government to that 
plane of purity and usefulness in conformity with the ideas that character- 
ized the memorable speech of the immortal Lincoln on the battlefield of 
Gettysburg in the falll of 18G3. However the survivors may have con- 
sidered the conduct of the government, they have been powerless as an 
organization to accomplish any results, and have been compelled to exer- 
cise their own judgment individually in doing what they could to maintain 
the purity and integrity of the nation in line with the purposes of the great, 
pure, devoted and patriotic leaders of the country. In commenting upon 
the duties of citizenship in relation to governmental affairs, Dean Church 
is quoted as saying: 'We are like soldiers in a widely extended battlefield, 
wrapped in obscurity, of which we do not know the plan, of which we 
seem entirely powerless to control the issues; but we are responsible for 
our own part, whatever goes on elsewhere, let us not fail in that. The 
changes of the world which men think they are bringing about, are in the 
hands of God, With Him, when we have done our duty, let us leave 
them." In the great strife the men of the Third Division were a most 
formidably phalanx, and were able and did control results, but as 
citizens their possibilities have been limited, yet from the lives they have 
led they have fully measured up to the standards of citizenship that seems 
to have been the ideal of Dean Church in the above quotation. 



THE RETURN OF THE BATTLE FLAGS. 

FOLLOWING the close of the Civil War the battle flags carried by 
the Pennsylvania organizations were taken home usually by the 
regimental commanders, and were not formally turned over to 
tjhe a)mmonwealtJi of Pennsylvania, whose Governor Tiad presented 
them to the different organizations at the time of the departure of the 
troops for the war. Around no emblems of battle on this continent at 
least was entwined so much interesting history as attaches to the battle 
flags carried by the Pennsylvania soldiers in the Civil War. The riddled 
stars and stripes, the shattered and broken staffs, eloquently told of the 



Army of the Potomac. 27 

carnage in which they had been carried, and which made them worthy of 
the most careful care on the part of the Commonwealth, that future gen- 
erations might not only have veneration for those who had borne them on 
the battlefield, but have increased devotion and loyalty to the govern- 
ment these battle-scarred flags represented. It was therefore decided bv 
those in authority, that on the 4th of July, 1866, a committee from each 
regimental organization should have the custody of the battle flags, should 
take them to Philadelphia, and on Independence Day formally turn them 
over to the Hon A. G. Curtin, then closing out his last term as Governor 
of the State. On this occasion the Third Division was represented bv a 
committee from each regiment, and the flags that had been carried in 
action were formally handed over to Gov. Curtin, and these with the 
other Pennsylvania flags now remain in the archives of the Adj. General's 
Department at Harrisburg. They are a lesson in patriotism, in devotion 
in loyalty, and tell the story of bravery in terms more terse than can be 

r rp';;. / '''^' "' P'^'- ^° ^'^^ «^^^«'«° «f t^e retu™ of the battle flags, 
the Third Division was represented^y a detail from each of the 
ments. 



six regi- 



THE FIRST REUNION. 

IN 1SS9 at Boiling Springs in the County of Cumberland, four of 
the survivors of the 209th Regiment formulated a plan for a re- 

R rr f t", """""'"""" "' '^'' '*^^™^"*- '^h^^« «»"-«^-« were R. 
W- M-u' It ^- """''''' ^"'"^' ^- C^^^sb^^d -°d William F. 
Wise. Milton A. Embick was elected secretary, and with his characteristic 
perseverance and resolution, assisted by his comrades, a very successful 
reunion was held in the City of Carlisle, on the 25th of March, 1889 

tin thV7""i i"""'*""'' ""^ ^^^^^°*- ^^ -^■--'^ - t'^e as-oia- 

tion then formed, and took part in all the deliberations. In speaking at 

the reunion of this regiment, Gen. Hartranft expressed a desire that 

arrangements be made for a reunion of all of the regiments that made up 

he divison, and he appointed Milton A. Embick provisional secretary of 

the division, and authorized him to take such action as he might deem 

necessary to secure a reunion of the Survivors of the Division in tL t" 

of Harrisburg in 1890. The survivors of the 209th Regiment present all 

expressed a willingness to assist in securing a large assemblage of th 

survivors and work was commenced then and there which resulted in . 

reunion of all of the regiments of the division in the city of Harri. . ut on 

March 25th, 1890. Gen. Hartranft applied to the Pennsylvania Le^isir 

the Sta'tlT"" ''' '"'""'^ *^ "^^* '" *'« ^^^--^ departments 

of the State Government, and in the halls of legislation of the State Capi- 
o . In answer to his request, Gen. J. P. S. Gobin, then State Senator 

h I eTs : ""•*"" T"" "" — ™ously passed by both branches oi 
the Legislature, giving the Survivors of the Division the right to use any 
of the apartments in any of the departments of the State Government al 



23 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

well as the Senate and House of Representatives on the occasion of the 
proposed reunion. (The name of Gen. J. P. S. Gobin has been mentioned 
and it would seem ungrateful to mention that name without a slight tribute 
to him and a word of commendation for his distinguished services on the 
battlefields of his country, and in the civil service of the State of Penn- 
sylvania, all of which were characterized by the purest devotion, and the 
most substantial loyalty to State and nation, and his quick response to he 
request of Gen. Hartranft in securing the privileges above referred to, 
endeared him particularly to the Survivors of the Division.) 

When the call fom their old commander for a reunion was heard, the 
answer was a most striking response. In Scott's Lady of the Lake, the 
shrill whistle of Roderick Dhu to the Clan-Alpine warriors, was not re- 
sponded to with more alacrity than was the call of the heroic Hartranft 
by the Survivors of the Third Division. Yet as Roderick Dhu had gone 
down in the tragedy so beautifully portrayed by Scott, and was ^ot present 
to lead his Clan, so too, had Hartranft answered the call of that fate 
common to all before the time fixed for the assembling of the Division 
Survivors at their first reunion. Notwithstanding the grief manifested on 
all sides at the demise of Gen. Hartranft, there was --Jj ^^f-- - 
the hearts of the Survivors of the Division when on ^^^^^ ^5 '/^^'/^J 
the first time since the clolse of the Civil War they marched together a 
regimental and divisional organizations through the streets of the Capitol 
of the Keystone State. 

After the parade, the Survivors marched to the Harrisburg Opera House, 
where an address of welcome was given by the then Mayor of Harnsburg 
which was responded to on the part of the Survivors by Isaac B. Brown, of 

the 211th Regiment. 

At this reunion Col. Fredericks who had acted with great gallantry at 
the carnage of Ft. Stedman, presided, and was elected President of the 
Division Association then formed. In many ways there was a gladness 
about this first reunion which surpassed all others. The renewing of old 
acquaintances carried with it a satisfaction and a reooicing which can 
hardly be excelled by any of the pleasantries of life. At the Camp Fire 
held fn the Opera House in the evening many of the distinguished men of 
the State were present, and greeted the Survivors of the men who had been 
commanded by the gallant Hartranft. Gen^ John G. Parke who ^om^ 
manded the 9th Corps in the Ai-my of the Potomac, of -^^^^ ;^! J^;^^ 
Division was a part, was present, and added to the pleasu e of the Sui^ 
vivors all of whom had a most profound respect for the gallant hero and 
Christian soldier, General Parke. The principal orator of the evening was 
Major Wm. H. Hodgkins, of Boston, Mass. He had served with dis^nc- 
tion as an ofiicer of the Thirty-sixth Mass., and was one of General Har- 
tranffs most brilliant staff ofiicers. Taps sounded all too soon for this 
gallant officer and princely gentleman. Gen. Jas. A. Beaver, also a mo 
distinguished soldier of Pennsylvania, was then Governor, and added h 
greetings to the Survivors of the division. Gen. Louis Wagner, a dis 



Army of the Potomac. 29 

tinguished soldier of the Civil War, and eminent in the financial and in- 
dustrial affairs of the Commonwealth, was also present. There was also 
present Gen. Thomas J. Stewart, then Secretary of Internal Affairs of Penn- 
sylvania. 

So delighted were the Survivors who were present with their first reunion, 
that arrangements were made for a second reunion to be held in the city of 
York the following year. Among the many very pleasant features of the 
reunion was the presentation of a beautiful watch to Hon. M. A. Embick, 
of the 209th Regiment, and secretary of the division organization. This 
watch was presented to Mr. Embick by his comrades in recognition of the 
services rendered in securing the attendance of so many of the Survivors of 
the Division. 

At the first reunion there were also present the surviving members of 
the Hartranft family, consisting of Mrs. Hartranft, her two daughters 
and two sons, all of whom were admired by the Survivors not only on 
account of their personal merits, but more particularly because of their 
relationship to him who was the commander of the old division. 



REUNION AT YORK, MARCH 25th, 1891. 

ON THIS date the Division assembled in the city of York, through 
whose streets a portion of the Confederate Army marched in the 
summer of 1S63 on its way to participate in the renowned battle 
of Gettysburg. From the early hours of the morning of the 25th of 
March, 1891, the streets of York resounded with the tread of marching 
squads of the Division, to the strains of martial music, and to the greet- 
ings extended by the different regiments of the Division as they passed 
each other on their way to the quarters to which they had been assigned. 

It was a great day in the old town of York, in which at one time during 
the great struggle for American Independence, the Continental Congress 
held its session at the time when the star\'ing American Army was en- 
camped on the field of Valley Forge, The most cordial greeting was ex- 
tended to the Survivors by the citizens and the hospitality exhibited was 
of a character worthy of emulation. The sentiments of the people towards 
the Survivors of our Division were accurately set forth in the address of 
welcome delivered by Hon. D. K. Noell, then Mayor of the city. 

Many letters were read by the secretary from survivors of the Division 
who were unable to be present; also letters from distinguished officials 
of the Nation and State, and from commanding officers of the Confederate 
Army. It may be said here that at no reunion of the Third Division has 



30 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

there ever been any exhibition of enmity or animosity towards those who 
served on the Confederate side in the great American Conflict. While this 
is true, there has never been any change of conviction in the minds of the 
Survivors of the Third Division as to the justness of their cause, or that 
the South was justified in its attempt to sever the nation. Looking forward 
to the welfare of the Government of the United States, especially as to 
its perpetuity, the consensus of opinion has been that in that world re- 
nowned conflict both sides were acting from their own convictions in the 
part they took in the great struggle. So in all our reunions greetings have 
been extended to and received from Confedei'ate commanders and soldiers 
in general, and in this way it would seem that much good has been ac- 
complished for the common welfare. 

Among the letters read on the occasion of the reunion at York, was one 
from Gen. Jno. B. Gordon, of Georgia, a most distinguished Confederate 
soldier, who went into the war as a captain in a Georgia regiment, and 
rose to the command of one of the corps of Lee's Army of Northern Vir- 
ginia. He was many times wounded, and in the fortunes of war he seemed 
to be always in the thickest of the fight, but when the war was over, he 
surrendered on the field of Appomattox, accepted the situation, and dur- 
ing the balance of his life devoted all his physical energies and mental 
powers to the upbuilding of the government, and the re-uniting of the 
people of the United States. During the last winter of the war, Gen. Lee 
placed upon Gordon the duty of formulating a plan to sever the Army of 
the Potomac and destroy its base of supplies, in order that the Confeder- 
ate Army might have an opportunity to extricate itself from the embattled 
lines of Petersburg, and form a junction with the Confederate Gen. Jos. 
E. Johnston, in the State of North Carolina. Pursuant to the plans 
which were consummated and under the direction of Gen. Lee, Gordon 
made his famous attack upon the Union line at Fort Stedman in 1865, the 
result of which he so tersely sets forth in his Memoirs of the part he took 
in the Civil War. An invitation had been extended to Gen. Gordon to be 
present at the reunion at York, but he was unable to accept, and forwarded 
a letter, of which the following is a copy. 

Atlanta, Georgia, March 20th, 1891. 

Fellow Soldiers: — Engagements of the most exacting character will deprive me of the 
pleasure and privilege of accepting your very cordial invitation. 

I beg, therefore, that you will accept this written assurance of my sincere ap 
preciation of your generous wish as expressed through your secretary, that I should 
meet you on the anniversary of the attack upon Fort Stedman, In front of Peters- 
burg, on the morning of March 25th, 1865. 

I deeply regret that I can not meet in social intercourse the brave men who con- 
fronted my command on that momentous day. 

The memory of that event and all similar occurrences of that historical period 
In our country's life should be cherished' by the survivors of both armies and the 
mutual respect which was born of the supremest test to which American soldiers have 



Army of tJw Potomac. 31 

ever been subjected should be cultivated at the North and South, a most potent 
bond of union between the soldiers. 

With hearty gieetiug and the expression of every good wish for the brave men 
assembled at York, that beautiful city through which It was my fortune to lead the 
first Confederate soldiers that ever trod its streets, I am 

Faithfully yours , 
J. B. GORDON. 

Among those who served on the divison staff was Maj. W. H. Hodgkins, 
a most accomplished soldier, and a cultured gentleman, who served in the 
36th Massachussets, but his fondness for the soldiers of our Division was 
most pronounced. Being unable to attend the reunion of the Division at 
York, he wrote the secretary a letter, of which the following is a copy: 

Boston, Mass., March 25th, 1891. 
Comrade Milton A. Embick, 

Secretary Society of Third Division, Ninth Army Corps: 
Dear Comrade: — It is a source of deep regret that I am obliged, at the last 
moment, to telegraph you that it will be impossible for me to attend the reunion of 
the "Fort Stedman" division, which Is to be held at York, Pa., to-day. Though 
absent in body I am with you In spirit. The recollection of the Inspiring reunion 
at Harrisburg one year ago, when we met for the first time as a division to cele- 
brate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the battle of Fort Stedman, Is so fresh In 
memory that I can scarcely realize that a whole year has passed since I took my 
comrades by the hand, and looked Into the faces of the gallant men who won for their 
Qivision and Its commander a reputation unsurpassed in the Army of the Potomac. 
And now you have again assembled on the anniversary of that eventful day, to com- 
memorate the gallant achievements of the division. It would afford me great pleasure 
to be with you to greet Mrs. Hartranft and my former comrades, together with 
General Douglass, of Jlaryland, with whom I had an interview between the lines, 
under the flag of truce, on the morning of March 25, 1865. 

The scenes of that eventful morning will never be effaced from memory; and you do 
well to celebrate the day. You will recall the memories of the days so long passed 
when you served in the army of the Union. You will also call to mind the noble 
commander of the division General John F. Hartraft, to whom you owe so much, and 
whose memory you revere. 

During the past year I have thought much of him and of the seeming providence 
which placed him in command of the division. When your regiments went to the front 
in the autumn of 1864, they were assigned to duty in the Army of the James, and 
occupied the lines in defense of Bermuda Hundred. Soon after it was decided to 
organize a corps of colored troops, and the original Fourth division of the Ninth 
corps— then the Third — was sent from the Army of the Potomac to the Army of 
the James, and the six new regiments of Pennsylvania troops were sent to the Ninth 
corps. In exchange for the colored troops. General Hartranft, himself a distinguished 
Pennsylvanian, was selected from the Ninth corps brigadiers to command the divi- 
sion. He was pre-eminently the man for the place. He was proud of his State and 
its soldiers, and his State justly proud of him. He had been in the service from the 
first call for troops in April, 1861. He had commanded regiments, brigades and di- 
Tlsions, and hard fighting in more than twenty battles from Bull Run to Petersburg, 
had innured him to all the demands of the service. He assumed command on the 15th 
day of December, 1864, which may be called the birthday of the division, and Imme- 
diately addressed' himself to prepare the division for the work It was to do. Drills, 
reviews, inspections, frequent schools for company and field ofl3cers, daily visits to the 
various departments of the camp, strict discipline — all these rendered the preliminary 
work severe: but the result was grand. The short but severe campaigns to Nottoway 
and Hatcher's Run during the winter months accustomed the men to hardship and 
privation, and also to Implicit obedience. He tested his men, had confidence In them, 
and knew he could depend upon them in any emergency. In this he was never dis- 
appointed. You will remember him to-day as he rode into that fearful musketry fire 
at the head of the Two Hundredth regiment, and held It to Its deadly work nntll 
It had broken the head of the charging column, and sent it reeling back towards 
Stedman. You ^vlll picture him as he rode ah hour later on the right flank of th« 



32 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

Two Hundredth and Eleventh regiment, directing the assault which recaptured the 
fort and won the day. You will mourn at wliat seems to us all his untimely death, 
and will add another laurel to the chaplet of his fame. 
With fraternal regards and best wishes, 

I remain, yours very truly, 

W.M. H. HODGKIXS. 

Col. R. H. I. Goddard, of the distinguished Goddard family of Provi- 
dence, E. I., served on the staff of Gen. Parke, when that officer was in 
command of the Ninth Army Corps, and was always a firm friend of our 
division; and although he belonged to the troops of another State, he 
never failed to pass his compliments upon the services of the Third Divi- 
sion of the Ninth Corps. Being unable to be present at the York reunion, 
Col. Goddard sent a letter, of which the following is a copy: 

Providence, March 9, 1S91. 
Milton A. Embick, Esq., Boiling Springs, Pa. 

My Dear Comrade: — I regret extremely that I am unable to accept your cordial and 
graceful invitation to be present upon the observance of the twenty-sixth anniversary 
of Fort Stedman. A plan, long since matured to visit Bernuida with my family, alone pre- 
vents my attendance. Please state this to my old friends, and give them the assurance of 
my lasting affection and respect. How I would rejoice to be with you, and to see 
you all again. I trust that noble soldier, my old friend Hodgkins of the Thirty-six 
Mass., will be present, to tell you the story of Stedman, as he alone can tell it. 
What glorious memories rush into our minds, as we recall the 25th of March, 1865. 
Can I ever forget the Third division of the Ninth army corps, upon the early morning 
of that eventful day. 

The mere mention of Fort Stedman Is enough to "stir a fever in the blood of 
age, and to make the infant sinews strong as steel." At every reunion of old" sol- 
diers, It is natural and proper that we should bestow gentle and loving thoughts upon 
our departed comrades. For they only have gone on a little while before us, and have 
joined the ever increasing throng across the river. As I write these lines to my old 
friends and comrades of tlie Third division of the Ninth army corps we loved so well, the 
faces and forms of many friends seem near to me, of those Intimate and beloved com- 
panions during the stirring scenes of war. There are, however, two more closely 
associ.Tted in my thoughts as they wander back twenty-six years, with the events 
that transpired on the day you will celebrate at York. They were men of the quality 
and the fiber, I pray God may ever be found in this dear land of ours. Combining un- 
blemished honor and unquestioned courage, with the purest and loftiest patrioism, they 
served their country faithfully in the hour of her need. One of them you all know well. 
He was the lion-hearted Hartranft whose privilege it was yours to follow, and whose 
friendship during and after the war, I was proud to possess. 

The other was unknown to most of yon. Of delicate physical organization, he had a 
will of iron, which enabled him to complete four years of service in the field, but 
worn out with the hardships of continuous campaigns, he died within a few months after 
Appomattox, "ripe for immortality," but too early for his country and his friends. 
He was with us in that charge of Stedman, and his name was James Lyman Van 
Buren. General Parke knew him well, for he was his friend and trusted staff officer. 

Twenty-six years have rolled by, and many events have faded' from my mind, but I can 
never forget these two gallent soldiers and friends whose memories I now recall to you. 

I am, my dear comrades. 

Ever faithfully yours, 

R. H. I. GODDARD. 
Brevet Lt. Col. and A. D. C. Ninth Corps, Staff A. of P. 

While all regretted that Gen. John B. Gordon was unable to meet with 
the survivors at the York reunion, they were delighted to have present 
Gen. Kyd Douglas, Adjutant General of the State of Maryland, who had 
rendered distinguished services on the Confederate side during the great 
conflict, having risen from the rabks to the command of the Light Brigade 



Army of the Potomac. 33 

of Gordon's Corps, and who, on the morning of the 2oth of March, 1865, 
was placed in command by Geu. Goi-dou of the first and leading assaulting 
brigade. At the Camp Fire held in the evening in the Opera House, Gen. 
Douglas was introduced to the audience, and delivered an address of which 
the following is a copy: 

GENERAL t)OUGLAS: My old enemies (applause)— (a voice, "Oh, 
not now,") — and my fellow soldiers: I am not unprepared for this warm 
and cordial greeting, because I have met some of you before! (Laughter.) 
It was on the 25th of March, twenty-six years ago, and the place was 
called Fort Stedman. You were on one side and I went to make a friendly 
visit, and a warmer reception I never had in my life! (Laughter.) It is a 
long time ago, and the most of you were a deal better looking than you 
are now. (Laughter.) I was that much younger, but not a bit better look- 
ing — because I am not married yet ! (Laughter.) 

I have spoken of the warmth of your reception. Perhaps it was be- 
cause of my early call. I had been assigned by General Gordon to the duty 
of leading the brigade that made the attack from Colquitt Salient upon 
Fort Stedman. We had a hard time to get there, and when we got there — 
perhaps owing to the untimely morning call — we met with nothing but 
very nasty treatment. (Laughter.) Guns and pistols were fired in a fel- 
low's face, and a great many other things were done which did not reflect 
much credit upon the hospitality of the Third Division. (Laughter.) But I 
forgive you. In fact we had all better forgive each other, because when we 
come to call the roll and read over both the debit and credit sides, all of 
us will have some need of forgiveness. 

I am here to-night to talk to you like a Confederate soldier. (A voice, 
"That is right.") I stood by my colors then, and do not "go back on" 
them now. (Applause.) If I am here to speak on behalf of the Third Di- 
vision, and to pay a tribute to the memory of John F. Hartranft, it is be- 
cause as a Union soldier he was the first man in the North after the war to 
take my hand. (Applause.) I have neither explanations nor apologies to 
make to any human being. I remember that General Grant never was 
known by voice or pen, as General of the Army, or as President, to say 
that anyone who sustained his colors and stood by his flag in the Confeder- 
ate army should apologize to anyone for his course. This is what Grant 
and Hartranft and Parke, and the men who led your division felt. I re- 
spect their opinion and my own, and not those of those political generals, 
twenty-five years after the war (applause) who, when the flag of your 
country was being dragged in the dust and blood in the valley of Virginia, 
were content, like Job's warhorse, to "snuff the battle from afar." (Ap- 
plause.) 

Now, I am here, my friends, for two purposes; first to speak of my 
friend Hartranft, and then to tell you something of our side of Fort Sted- 
man. There were two sides to that battle, or there would not have been 
any battle ! (Laughter.) I want to call the attention of the members of 



34 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

the Third Division to the fact that the battle of Fort Stedman has never 
had the prominence and importance in the history of this war vphlch it de- 
serves. I will tell you why. Within one week after that assault, General 
Lee evacuated Petersburg. Events rushed on with great rapidity to the sur- 
render at Appomattox. The time for reports of the generals, for historical 
use, was not at hand. There is no report of the battle onfthe part of the 
Union side that is worth reading. The reports on the part of the Confeder- 
ate side are even more inferior. The battle of Fort Stedman lost its 
prominence by reason of the overwhelming events which followed close upon 
it; and it is for that reason that you, yourselves have not understood the 
important part you played in terminating the war. (Applause.) 

Now, what was the motive of that battle? What was the cause of it? 
General Lee knew for months before that assault that the days of the 
Confederate army in front of Petersburg were few. He had reported to 
the Confederate government that it would be impossible for him, when 
the season opened, to hold the lines against Grant's army. His supplies 
were gone; his ranks were as thin as the clothes of his soldiers. Desertion 
had thinned many of them out. Death had thinned others. That Army of 
Northern Virginia, which for four years had, as Swinton has said, carried 
the rebellion on the points of its bayonets, had almost ceased to exist as 
an organized body. General Lee knew that the army could never resist the 
organized force of the Army of the Potomac under Grant. He had so 
informed President Davis, and gone so far as to suggest the evacuation 
of Petersburg. But it had been suggested to him tha.t he must make one 
more attempt ; and I say here with calm deliberation that a man more will- 
ing to do that never was known than Robert E. Lee. So, finally, to 
convince the President, and to convince himself of the futility of holding 
these lines, he had a consultation, and upon that consultation determined 
where the only point at which the attack could be made. I am sorry that 
I have not a black board here, that I might explain the position of the 
lines as understood by some of us who have studied them. But, if you 
remember, on your extreme right, or our extereme left, the Appomattox 
ran along in front of Fort Stedman, or rather in front of Colquitt Salient; 
and behind Fort Stedman was a military road which ran to Mead's Sta- 
tion, the point to which your supplies came. Down on your left, or our 
right, your left had been swung around until near the Appomattox post. 
Five Forks, and up to Hatcher's Run. The point upon which General Lee 
desired to move was Danville. The left of General Grant's army was 
across the road to Danville. 

There were two purposes then — first, to make an assault upon General 
Grant's right ; so that if we succeeded in breaking the right and getting 
across to the military road, so as to threaten Meade's Station, the base of 
supplies for the whole army. General Grant would be compelled to swing 
his left around and to bring it up. More than that, it was believed that 
if we could succeed in forcing our way in like a wedge through Fort Sted- 
man, back to Meade's Station, and across the military road, we might in 
that way produce such a commotion in the right wing as to give us what 



Army of the Potomac. 35 

would be equivalent to a victory; and having obtained that victory, Gen- 
eral Lee could, if he saw proper, retire, as General Parlie well knows, 
with much greater ease. The two purposes then were, first, to make an 
assault in force upon the Federal army to let them know that the Army of 
Northern Virginia still lived, and to take advantage of that assault, if it 
should be successful; and if not, to compel General Grant to throw his 
left back from Appomattox, from Five Forks, back from Hatcher's Run, 
and to bring it around to his right, so that General Lee, by extending his 
right, could open the way, and instead of crossing the Appomattox River 
(as we had to do in the end), and pass around by way of Burkville, he could 
march down on the southern side of the Appomattox to Danville, and join 
our lines with those of General Johnson. 

That was the military position; and I say, when you consider this fact, 
if that movement had succeeded in either way, if the Third Division had not 
behaved as they did, if they had not been in that extremely inhospitable 
and stubborn mood which characterized them (I do not want to speak too 
ill of it in your presence, because people like to have their own opinion), — 
if they had not behaved as they did, and we had succeeded, we might have 
produced a confusion in the Federal Army, which would have delayed Ap- 
pomattox; and even if we had not been driven back, would have caused 
General Grant to swing back his left, giving us a road to Danville to join 
General Johnson, and the surrender would not have taken place by the 
ninth of April, as it did. 

That assault then was made on the morning of the twenty-fifth of Marcd. 
I remember it well. As my brother, Embick, in introducing me has said, 
I am no novice. I am a full-fledged, gray-haired old Reb. (Laughter and 
applause.) I went into the army as a private in the "Stonewall Brigade" 
formerly commanded by General Hill and General Early. I had been \cry 
kindly selected by my leader, General Gordon, whose chief of staff I had 
been before that, and placed in command of the brigade that morning; so 
that it became my fortune to be with the front of that assault upon Fort 
Stedman. We got through the lines. We have heard a good deal about 
Fort Haskell. We have had a few accounts, in the first one of which I 
saw nothing about the Third Division, and I would have thought we had 
been whipped by Fort Haskell only. They were gallant men who held that 
fort, but we did not care much about any foi't on one side or the other, 
when we got behind them once and had gone on with our forces. We did Dot 
care anything about forts except for the purpose of using guns. (Laughter.) 
We wanted to get through; and one cause of the failure was that Gordon, 
who had been assigned to the command of the attacking column, was to 
have been reinforced by Longstreet, and should have had ten or twelve thou- 
sand men in that column of assault; but owing to several accidents, one by 
railway and one by failure to connect, the reinforcements did not get 
there. The main assault was made by Gordon's own division and those im- 
mediately around it, and the reinforcemtnts to be sent by Longstreet never 
came. If they had arrived in time, you Third Division fellows would have 
had a little harder work than you did. (Laughter.) 



36 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

Just beyond Fort Stedman the advance of our lines met the Third Di- 
vision — the Two Hundredth, the Two Hundred and Ninth, the Two Hun- 
dred and Eighth, the Two Hundred and Eleventh, the Two Hundred and 
Fifth, the Two Hundred and Seventh, and I believe the One Hundredth 
Pennsylvania was somewhere there. You see I know all about you ; I have 
had it ground into me as a matter of history. We met them. Hartranft 
was there and he did not behave towards me as he did afterwards. (Laugh- 
ter.) Then came the assault against us which drove us back. I got back 
safely on the other side, but hov/ I got back I have never been able to find 
ont, however, I did get back. The lines were closed up, the battle of Sted- 
man had been fought, and the assault of our army had been repulsed. The 
last great atta'ck of the Army of Northern Virginia had ended in disaster, 
and before the sun went down we knew that the fate of that army was 
sealed. It was the last and supreme effort, boldly conceived, well executed 
at first, not sustained, driven back, and defeated. From that on to the 
final end the Army of the Potomac had nothing but one triumphal proces- 
sion. It was the last fight of the war, so far as any hope of success was 
concerned. It was the final effort, and that effort had failed. The retreat 
from Petersburg and the evacuation of our works followed as a matter of 
course. 

It was on that field that I first met General Hartranft. When the lines 
had been restored, to me was assigned the duty, by General Gordon, of 
opening communication with the enemy by flag of truce, and entering into 
an agreement to get the dead and wounded that lay between our lines. In 
answer to that flag, an officer appeared, and following him came a gentle- 
man, then unknown to me, since well known as General Hartranft. A 
slight conversation disclosed that we had been at the same college for a 
while. We talked very little of the war. He turned to me and said, "Doug- 
las, take your dead and wounded and give us ours, that is all the cartel 
we need on an occasion like this." No red tape there ! (Laughter.) 

I saw in a newspaper a ghastly receipt which, strange to say, although 
it was a newspaper, I recognized as my own handwriting. General Har- 
tranft had had it photographed, and the photograph had been engraved and 
printed in the Philadelphia Press. I could have sworn to it as my own 
receipt, and a ghastly one it was — for the dead and wounded that I re- 
ceived on that fatal field. They were carried back and had a soldier's bur- 
ial. Shortly after that the army took its flight from Petersburg, and Ap- 
pomattox followed in less than a week or ten days. That was not the last 
time I met Gen. Hartranft. When he was in charge as provost-marshal- 
general and military governor of the District of Columbia, and presided 
over the court which tried the assassins of President Lincoln, and those 
who were charged with complicity, some fellow who had not the fear of 
God before his eyes, went there and testified that I had something to do 
with that assassination. (Laughter.) I was taken down, and put in the 
hands of a provost-marshal at Washington, who asked me, "What do 
you want to do?" Said I, "I want to be sent to the penitentiary." He re- 



Army of tJw Potomac. 37 

plied, "This is the iirst time I ever heard onybody ask to be sent to the 
penitentiary; why do you want to go there?' Said I, "I want to go there 
because General Hartrauft is in command, and I will always trust myself 
in the hands of a soldier whom I have fought." (Applause.) I was sent 
there, and I was received by Gen. Hartranft as if I had been his intimate 
friend. He introduced me to his personal staff. They were courteous, and 
I lived among them, although a prisoner in fact, as one of their body. I 
was supposed to be shut up in a cell, but Gen. Hartranft knew that I had 
no more to do with the assassination of President Lincoln than he had. The 
fact was that when President Lincoln was killed I was for three weeks in 
the mountains of Virginia, and never heard of his death until two weeks 
after it occurred. 

I desire to say here now, that I cherish the memory of General Har- 
tranft's behavior on that occasion, the memory of his generosity, his ten- 
derness and manhood, not only towards me, but towards Mrs. Surratt. I 
have seen pictures in your own loyal North representing him as standing 
by when that woman was manacled; and in the State of Pennsylvania, I 
dare, as a Confederate soldier, to deny the charge made against him. (Ap- 
plause.) He treated her with courtesy, with manliness and humanity. His 
whole course on that occasion and as provost-marshal-general was marked 
by the same humanity. 

We are becoming gradually fewer and fewer. The heads of the army 
have gone. Grant is gone; McClellan is gone; Sherman has gone; Sheridan 
has gone ; Hancock is gone. Others have followed in their tread. On our 
side, Lee has gone; Stonewall Jackson is no more; Johnston has gone. 
Our ranks are becoming thinner and thinner. Very few remain on either 
side. Since the notice of this reunion was given, the greatest of your living 
generals, Sherman, was followed to the place of the dead, and the magnifi- 
cent Joe Johnston stood by and dropped flowers upon his tomb. Scarcely 
had the clods been closed over the grave of Sherman, when Johnston him- 
self, eighty-four years of age, answered the last roll-call, and he who was 
a few weeks ago the greatest living soldier of the Confederacy is now no 
more. One and another and another must answer to the tatoo and taps as 
their lights go out forever. Our time is coming, my fellow soldiers. It is 
well that we should get closer together Let our bjokerings be cast aside. 
Let us stand to our convictions ; stand up to what we thought our views of 
right, but let all paltry bickerings cease. You gray-haire'd men, and you 
young men who are the sons of gray-haired veterans, those of us who have 
seen war can afford to forget what took place twenty-five years ago. We 
can soften our animosities and remember that from time immemorial the 
bravest have been the tendorest. We can stand by each other; we can 
stand by the same principles; we can stand by the same Union, and by 
the same flag. There are not many of us left to answer the roll call, and 
we are becoming fewer and fewer south of the Potomac and North. Death 
knows no distinction between the blue and the gray; apd you and I, sir, 
(turning to General Parks,) can march together side by side and pluck 



38 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

roses from the same bush and drop them together on the graves of Har- 
tranft and Johnston. (Applause.) So it will be until the time comes in the 
history of this world's affairs, in the history of this nation when joined to- 
gether and praising as it may be the heroic deeds and records of the Union 
soldiers and the Confederate volunteer, we will stand side by side before 
all the world as the same people, with the same record, the same hopes, 
the same aspirations — all the children, the brothers and fathers of the 
American soldier! (Great applause.) 

Among other distinguished officers of the army at the York reunion was 
Gen. B. F. Fisher, Chief Signal Officer of the Army of the Potomac. While 
Gen. Fisher was not particularly attached to the Ninth Army Corps, the 
position of the Ninth Corps along the beleagured lines of Petersburg, 
brought him in contact with the officers and men of the Ninth Corps. Gen. 
Fisher had therefore a good opportunity to observe the character of the 
soldiers of the Third Division, and his presence at the reunion was the 
source of much gratification. 

All along the embattled lines outlooks were constructed, sometimes in the 
tops of tall trees with thick foliage, and sometimes derricks were built, 
and from these outlooks observations were constantly taKen of the move- 
ments of troops within the Confederate lines, and information as to such 
movements was communicated to the headquarters of the Army of the 
Potomac at City Point. It was a most important duty that thus de- 
volved upon Gen. Fisher and his subordinates. 

Gen. Fisher was introduced to the audience at the Camp Fire in the 
evening, and gave an entertaining account of his confinement in a Confed- 
erate prison, and his story of the manner in which he and Col. Straight 
and other officers were enabled to build a tunnel through which they es- 
caped to regain their freedom within the Union lines was particularly in- 
teresting. During the address of Gen. Fisher, following that of Col. 
Douglas, he paid a tribute to the valor of the Confederate soldier in the 
following words: 

GENERAL FISHER: Comrades, and ladies and gentlemen, I did not 
come here to be heard; I came to listen. I knew nothing of this reunion 
until my friend. Colonel Stewart, about noon to-day informed me of the 
reunion of Hartranft's old Division at York, and requested me to accom- 
pany him to the place. Your chairman has seen proper to ask me to give 
you an account "of what he called my "retreat" from old Libby Prison, 
through the tunnel in 1864. Before I do that, I want to pay my respects 
to our enemies from 1861 down to the close of the war, by referring to one 
incident. N'o soldier can lose his own self-respect ; no citizen of the United 
States can do his country a wrong, or commit an error from which pos- 
terity may draw an improper lesson by speaking of the honor, the courage, 
the bravery of the foe, which enabled the soldiers of the Republic to win 
the renown that they have won. One of the most remarkable scenes in my 
judgment that the world ever saw as reflecting endurance, the devotion, 
and the courage and the bravery of men, was that displayed by the Con- 



Army of the Potomac. 39 

federate army, as it stood waiting the shock of arms which they expected 
just prior to the announcement of the surrender. Picture, if it is possi- 
ble , you who were not present and never saw the scene ! There stood the 
decimated regiments, to which reference has already been made by General 
Douglas — ragged, hungry, many of them with empty knapsacks, and some 
without muskets or cartridges, but grim, determined- visaged, awaiting 
whatever might be the end. Surrounding them upon every hill-top stood the 
soldiers of our thoroughly equipped army with all the paraphernalia of war 
that wealth and abundance was able to gather in defense of the Republic, 
ready to open up what would have been simply an avalance of iron and 
lead, if the command had been given for another battle. Before all that 
array of arms, with all that array of soldiery, out-numbering them from 
three or four to one, flushed with the victories which they had been reap- 
ing for days and days, eager and earnest to end the fray, there they stood. 
Well did they know that if the order had been given to advance, it meant 
simply annihilation to them; but they never faltered, they never flinched; 
there they stood as they had often stood before, to meet the shock of the 
Army of the Potomac. I say to-day, that such an exhibition of courage, 
of endurance, of faith to a cause then lost, of faith to a principle which 
they themselves long had doubted, of faith ia their commanders, and with 
a determination to accept whatever might be the result. Wrong as you and 
I always felt they were, yet ill would it become you or me to question the 
honesty of the rank and file of that army. No men who did not honestly 
believe that they were right under the circumstances could possibly have 
presented the front which they presented. This little tribute I have felt 
it a proper thing to pay in the presence of one whom I knew thirty-three 
years ago, from which time until to-night I have never seen. I have 
often heard of the position which he held in the army upon the other side 
and I knew he was actuated by the utmost confidence in the righteousness 
of the cause for which he battled, that he never shirked a duty, never 
turned his back, although it was impossible for the combined strength of 
the army with which he was acting to overcome what was in their front. 
(Applause.) 

Among other speeches delivered at the Camp Fire at York, was one 
by the Hon. Thos. J. Stewart, Secretary of Internal Affairs of Pennsyl- 
vania. Gen. Stewart was most fortimate in the selection of his topic, and 
most happy and entertaining in his delivery. He was well-known in soldier 
circles throughout the Commonwealth, and needed no introduction any- 
where. Admired for his eloquence and splendid appearance, any organiza- 
tion was fortunate in having him present to address them on any occasion. 
The speech of Gen. Stewart at the Camp Fire was received most joyfully 
by the survivors, and most heartily applauded. 

Gen. John G. Parke, the last commander of the Ninth Corps, was also 
present ait the York reunion, and was received most cordially by the sur- 
vivors of the division, and by the people of York in general. At the Camp 
Fire he spoke as follows: 



40 Thinl Division, Xinth Corps, 

GENERAL PARKE: "Comrades, ladies and gentlemen, I wish at the 
outset simply to thank you heartily for this most generous reception . 
Were I an orator I do not think it would be possible to say a word after 
the eloquent and well deserved tribute given by our friend, Mr. Brown, 
to our departed companion and commander. General Hartranft, and to his 
able and efficient division. But, I have one or two thoughts which I am 
sui-e you will pardon me for attempting in my feeble way to express. 

"What brings us here twenty-six years after the action which we cele- 
brate? Why do you come, and why do 1 come? It is comradeship, and 
that comradeship which is based upon a tie of the strongest nature — a 
tie to be fully appreciated only by those who have been under fire on duty. 
That is an experience we enjoy without being fully aware of it when we 
come together, which makes these meetings, where we see each other face 
to face and shake each other by the hand, occasions for the recalling of 
memories of duty performed, which is to us a heartfelt satisfaction. 

"Now what is at the bottom of this thing? It is not curiosity; it is not 
a desire to parade ourselves for what we have done ; but it is a feeling, 
and I know you will agree with me, whose foundation is patriotism and 
love of the flag. That is the feeling which it is our duty to disseminate 
and cultivate among the young men who are coming forward to take our 
places. (Applause.) 

"In coming together we have a little pride, we feel satisfied with our 
work. But we had our worries and troubles and disappointments. 

"Things did not always go as we thought they ought to go, or as we 
thought they would probably go if we had been in control. Still we 
were buoyed up by an assurance of ultimate success ; and changes of scene 
brought about and added to this feeling of contentment and certainty as 
to the outcome of the war. 

"But there are two other classes of our people that I think we sometimes 
forget in these reunions who probably suffered more than we did, whose 
trials were probably greater than ours. They are the mothers, the sisters, 
and the wives of those who were at the front. (Applause.) Their anxi- 
ties we were not able to and cannot fully appreciate. The other class 
was the statesmen, the governors, the legislators, the business men, who 
had continually in mind the preparation and procurement of the where- 
withal to carry on the war. We never knew the anxiety, worry and 
trouble of those men, and I think when we come together in this way we 
should give a thought to those, who although at home, furnished us with 
the means of subsistence and transportation, and gave us loyal and hearty 
support. We should remember especially that to instruct the rising, 
generation to respect that flag and to maintain this great government, is 
a duty which we owe to our country. I thank you most heartily." (Ap- 
plause.) 

Col. Fredericks of the 209th Regiment, president of the Division Asso- 
ciation was unable to be present, and Gen. Levi A. Dodd, formerly 
colonel of the 211th Regiment was selected to preside in his place, and 



Army of the Potomac. 41 

introduce to the audience those who were selected to address the sur- 
vivors and their friends. Gen. Dodd was greatly admired by all his 
associates in the division, and his affection for his companions and officers 
is fully exhibited in the address given at that time. 

GEN. DODD: "Comrades: It is hard to realize that a whole year 
has gone by since last we met to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of 
the battle of Fort Stedman ; the battle which every comrade here to-night 
helped to win, and the battle which shines forth as one of the bright 
.stars in the firmament of our glorious achievements. But, nevertheless, 
a year has rolled around. Old Father Time is merciless, and to-night 
finds us another year older; another year of peace has been recorded since 
that terrible civil war, the like of which God grant we may never see 
again . 

"The history of our division is a glorious one, and many are the glorious 
deeds it has done in its time, but I am sure every one of you will agree 
with me when I say, that one of the last best things it did, was the es- 
eablishment of our annual reunions and camp fires; the second of which 
we are celebrating to-night in a most substantial manner. 

"I have been looking forward to this (xcasion with the keenest anticipa- 
tion, and now that it has arrived, once more I extend to you a fraternal 
welcome, from the very bottom of my heart. 

"I am sure that I should fail, should I attempt to express the happiness 
it affords me to be here to-night, and to look once more upon your old 
familiar faces. Old friends, are, after all the best friends, and the 
friends most appreciated, are those who have been with a man "for better 
or for worse," who have stood shoulder to shoulder in the din of battle, 
when whistling minnie-balls and bursting bombs filled the air, and when', 
in the intervals of quiet, our hearts were rent by the groans of the in- 
jured, and the prayers of the dying. 

"Comrades, in the most trying moments of our lives we have been to- 
gether. The direst days we have seen have found us side by side. How 
bravely you have fought, and what privations you suffered for the cause 
which every man of you believed to be right, and for the dear old flag we 
love, is not for me to say. Histoi;y has chiseled these events upon her 
un perishable tablets, and long after your hearts have ceased to beat 
within your bosoms, and long after your lips are sealed, posterity will 
read of your glorious victories at Fort Stedman and Petersburg, and 
honor you, to whose valor and heroism those victories were due. 

"Some who were with us those days are not here to-night. Long, long 
ago, taps have been sounded, and they have answered to their last roll- 
call. Among those is your noble commander. How much of the victory 
we gained in those trying days is due to him none of us can ever realize, 
but although many days have passed since he joined the great silent ma- 
jority, deep down in our hearts we cherish his memoi-y, and rejoice that 
he is now receiving his just reward. 

"Idle words can not add to your love for General Hartranft, and it is 



42 Thh-d Division, Ninth Corps, 

not for me to attempt to praise his deeds. The history of his life silently 
preaches his eulogy. He was as honest a man, as noble a gentleman, as 
brave a soldier as ever breathed, and my fervent prayer is that upon that 
final day of reckoning each of us may be accorded a reception such as I 
fervently believe he received. 

"But we must not take all the credit for the triumph of the Stars and 
Stripes twenty-six years ago upon ourselves. Nor must we forget our 
friends, the enemy. You had a hard fight to fight, and you fought it well, 
but had you not been compelled to fight as hard as you did, the honor of 
victory would not have been half so great. The boys who wore the grey 
deserve the credit of bringing out all the valor that was in you. 

"Like us, they were American citizens, and fighting for what they be- 
lieved to be right, and for an institution which they held sacred. No 
war in history was as terrible as that one. No war could have been. 
Men whose ancestor had fought in the revolution side by side against 
the tyranny of Great Britain were now pitted against each other. The 
result was that a war which many believed would be ended in a year, 
lasted four, and though defeated, the men who represented the Confed- 
eracy may well be proud of the heroism they displayed. Truly no army 
but one composed of Americans could have done as well. 

"But time goes on apace, and the flow of years has washed out the 
memory of those awful days. To-day the old flag you loved and bled for 
floats over a re-united country. A country which holds up its head proudly 
among all other nations of the world, and which has become more closely 
welded together by the nery ordeal to which is was subjected. 

"In the daily walks of life we meet the men who were then our enemies, 
who are now our friends. We do business with them, and occassionally 
we talk over the "late unpleasantness." All differences are forgotten, 
and our only interest is the prosperity and welfare of America, our com- 
mon heritage ; and to protect the honor of the starry banner which floats 
so proudly over us. 

"Our hands are clasped over the bloody chasm, and God grant that each 
of our annual camp-fires will find a more complete re-union of the N'orth 
and South, the blue and the grey, the palmetto and the pine." (Applause.) 

The executive committee of the Division in arranging the program for the 
second annual re-union had selected Major Isaac B. Brown to deliver an 
historical address. This address dwelt to some extent on the assembling 
of the regiments at the time of their muster into the service, and their 
first appearance on the embattled lines at Bermuda Hundred- Their 
first experience on the picket lines was when they heard the music of the 
religious songs at the prayer meetings of the Confederates. The address 
also referred to the mid-night charge at Bermuda Hundred ; the transfer- 
ring of the regiments to the Army of the Potomac and the formation of the 
Third Division under the command of Hartranft ; to the Weldon Raid ; 
the Hatcher's Run campaign; the gallantry of the division at Stedman, 
and the memorable assault at Petersburg in front of Fort "Hell." A 



Army of the Potomac. 43 

word picture showed the commandiug form of Hartranft on the parapets 
at Fort Sedgwick as he followed the movements of his division on that 
memorable morning of April 2nd, 1865. 

All in all, the second reunion of the division at York was a most 
successful and most enjoyable one, and yet with all it is a sad commen- 
tary to make that nearly all of the most prominent soldiers in that reun- 
ion have answered their last roll call, and when it is remembered that 
that reunion was held twenty-six years after the war, and that another 
quarter of a century is rapidly passing away, it is not surprising that 
death has mown so wide a swath in the ranks of the Survivors of the 
Division. 

Gen. Robert C. Cox, of Wellsboro, Tioga Co., who led the assault- 
ing brigade upon the embattlements of Fort Mahone, and who was much 
beloved by his soldiers as well as by the people where he lived, was elected 
president. 

Hon. Milton A. Embick was re-elected secretary, and Williamsport was 
chosen for the next reunion, to take place on the 24th and 25th of March, 
1893. 



THE TFIIRD DIVISION REUNION. 

W'lLLIAMSFORT was selected for the assembling of the Survivors 
because of its central location, and this fact contributed largely 
to the great number of survivors who paraded the streets of Wil- 
liamsport on the 24th of March, 1893, on which date the regi- 
mental reunions were held. On the following day the division reunion was 
held in the court house and at the Park Hotel, presided over by Gen. 
Robert C. Oox. An address of welcome was given by Mayor F. H. 
Keller, and was responded to by D. L. Dean, of the 207th Regiment. 
Comrade Dean was most eloquent in his response, and the fact that he had 
left one of his arms on the field at the siege of Petersburg perhaps ac- 
centuated the expressions which he made with reference to the services of 
the division . 

Letters of regret were read fi«om Gen. Parke, Gen. McM. Gregg, 
Governor Pattison, Col. Goddard and Gen. Jas. W. Latta. In the 
evening of the last day of the reunion, a most glorious camp fire was held 
in the Opera House, and addresses delivered by Generals Hastings, 
Stewart and Louis Wagner, and Maj. G. W. Merrick. As at Harris- 
burg and York, the entire Hartranft family was present, and cordially 
greeted the Survivors of the Division. 

A pleasing incident of this reunion was tthe presentation of a beautiful 
silken flag to Comrade D. B. Meredith of the 207th Regiment, who had 
labored earnestly for the success of the reunion, and especially in securing 
a large attendance from his own regiment. 

Hon. M. A. Embick was again chosen secretary, and Major Isaac B. 



44 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

Brown was elected president of the Division Association, which position 
he has since held, having been re-elected at each of the succeeding re- 
unions. 

By resolution passed, it was decided to hold the next reunion in the 
city of Harrisburg, April 9th, 1895. 



FOURTH REUNION. 

W'HEN the time came for holding the Fourth Reunion of the Di- 
vision at Harrisburg, great preparations were made by the 
citizens generally. They showed a marked recognition of the 
merits of the organization, whose survivors were to assemble at Har- 
risburg, by the decoration of all the State Capitol Buildings un- 
der the direction of the Commissioner of Buildings and Grounds. 
This reunion at Harrisburg was held before a portion of the old 
State Capitol had been destroyed by fire, and the beautiful Co- 
lonial architecture of the Capitol was most pleasingly decorated. Not 
only was the Capitol decorated, but the Senate chamber and House of 
Representatives , the committee rooms and the rooms of the different de- 
partments of the State government were thrown open to the soldiers, in 
which they held their regimental reunions. Gen. Daniel H. Hastings was 
then Governor, and greeted the soldiers most cordially, and delivered a 
very eloquent address at the Camp Fire which was held in the House of 
Representatives in the evening of the day of the reunion. The Indian 
School Band, from Carlisle, and the Steelton Band, fuitnished magnifi- 
cent music for the occasion. D. B. Meredith of the 207th was elected 
Division Secretary. 



THE HARTRANFT EQUESTRIAN STATUE. 

SOME years before the Survivors assembled in their Fourth Reunion 
at Harrisburg, the State Legislature had made provision for the 
erection of an equestrian statue of Gen. John Fulton Reynolds, 
who was killed at Gettysburg, of Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, wounded 
at Gettysburg, and Gen. George Gordon Meade, who c'ommanded the Army of 
the Potomac at the Battle of Gettysburg. An appropriation of $100,000 had 
been made for this purpose, and a commission appointed under the author- 
ity of an act of the Legislature, which commission was charged with the 
duty of procuring and erecting these equestrian statues at Gettysburg. 
All of these three soldiers were Pennsylvanians, and few soldiers during the 
Civil War achieved greater eminence as soldiers than did these three dis- 
tinguished Pennsylvanians. 

The Survivors of the Third Division, always desirious of commemorat- 
ing the services of their division commander, Gen. Hartranft, conceived 



Army of the Potomac. 45 

the idea of having an equestrian statue erected on the Capitol grounds at 
Harrisburg, in recognition of the distinguished services of their old com- 
mander. In conformity with this wish, a resolution was passed at the 
Fourth Reunion at Harrisburg in the nature of a memorial to the Legis- 
lature praying for the appropriation of $18,000 for the erection of a 
similar equestrian statue to Gen. Hartranft. A committee was also ap- 
pointed to prepare a bill to be introduced into the Legislature then in ses- 
sion. The committee discharged this duty promptly, and a bill was pre- 
sented in the House of Representatives and referred to the appropriation 
committee. The committee also had a hearing before the appropriation 
committee, and received no little encouragement as to the favorable action 
of the appropriation committee. However, the bill was not reported 
from the committee, which caused those who had brought about its intro- 
duction no little concern. Frequent interviews were had with the chair- 
man of the appropriation committee, but no definite promise could be se- 
cured. The chairman of the committee representing the Survivors' Asso- 
ciation knowing of the friendship which existed between Gen. Hartranft 
and the then senior United States Senator, Col. M. S. Quay, put him- 
self in communication by telephone with Senator Quay, who was then at 
his home at Beaver, Pa., and made an earnest appeal asking that he 
use his influence with the chairman of the appropriation committee to se- 
cure favorable action upon this appropriation bill. Senator Quay, what- 
ever may be said of him, had a kind heart; was true to his friends, and 
was always friendly to the Union soldier. His response was prompt and 
favorable, and he gave instn-.stions to have the chairman of the appro- 
priation committee put in communication with him by telephone. Just 
what was said by Senator Quay to the chairman of the appropriation 
committee is only conjecture, but the next day the appropriation bill for 
the statue was reported favorably and received practically the unanimous 
vote of both houses of the Legislature, and was promptly approved by Gov. 
Hastings. This bill is found in the Pamphlet Laws of Pennsylvania for 
the session of 1895, page 623, and is as follows: 

Under the terms of this act, the Governor, Daniel H. Hastings, the 
Auditor General, A. H. Mylin, and the State Treasurer, Samuel M. 
Jackson, together with a representative of Hartranft's old regiment, the 
51st Pennsylvania Volunteers, and one from each regiment of the Third 
Division were to constitute a commission charged with the duty of pro- 
curing a design and having erected this equestrian statue. The represen- 
tatives from the different regiments who were nominated by the respec- 
tive presidents of each regimental organization, were submitted to the 
Governor, who was to approve such nominations, and to issue commissions 
under the law above cited. In conformity with the authority so given, 
W. C. Hensel was commissioned to represent the 51st Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers ; Geo. W. Aughenbaugh , the 200th Pennsylvania Volun- 
teers ; Henry Elway, the 205th Pennsylvania Volunteers; J. W. Fredericks, 
the 207th Pennsylvania Volunteers; Dr. J. E. Van Camp, the 208th 
4 



46 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

Pennsylvania Volunteers; M. A. Embick, the 209th Pennsylvania Volun- 
teers, and Isaac B. Brown, the 211th Pennsylvania Volunteers. 

Immediately after the appointing and commissioning of the representa- 
tives so chosen, a meeting was held in the executive department at Har- 
risburg, at which Gov. Hastings was elected chairman, D. B. Meredith, 
secretary, and Isaac B. Brown, chairman of the executive committee. 

The executive committee was authorized to prepare a circular for pub- 
lication in which sculptors were invited to submit designs for this equestrian 
statue. This circular was published in New York and Philadelphia 
papers, and in due time the executive committee was in correspondence 
with a number of sculptors, nearly all of whom objected to designing and 
constructing an equestrian statue for the amount appropriated, inasmuch 
as no equestrian statue in the United States had been designed, con- 
structed and erected on a suitable pedestal for that amount of money, 
The chairman of the executive committee, however, impressed upon them 
the fact that if the statue was furnished, it must be within the limits of 
the appropriation. 

At a time fixed for the presentation of the designs, something like a 
dozen sculptors appeared before the commission, and exhibited their 
designs, some exhibiting sketches, and others models. No limitation had 
been placed upon the sculptors as to how Hartranft was to be represented 
in bronze, whether on parade, in action, in camp, or in the field, this 
being left entirely to the conception of the sculptor. At the time of the 
inspection of the designs presented, the members of the Hartranft family 
were present, and after much deliberation and the most conservative con- 
sideration, the design submitted by Mr. 'F. W. Ruckstuhl of New York, 
was accepted. Subsequently in accordance with instructions given, a 
contract was entered into by which the sculptor agreed to make a one-half 
life sized model and submit it to the commission for approval ; then to fur- 
nish a full heroic sized model, to be one and one-lialf larger than the 
usual horse and man, for the criticism and approval of the commission. 

While Mr. Ruckstuhl had been for years a student of sculpture, and 
had spent a number of years studying in Paris and was most proficient in 
all the work he had attempted, yet he had never designed and constructed 
an equestrian statue, but he was most enthusiastic and energetic, and 
the commission w^as most favorably impressed by him on this account. 
After preparing in this country the one-half sized model and receiving the 
approval of the commission, he went to Paris, and there under the in- 
struction of his old master, devoted about one and one-half years to pre- 
paring the heroic sized model, which was transported to New York, where 
the commission inspected it. Some slight changes were suggested in this 
plaster model, but in general it met with the approval of the commission. 
It may be well to observe that the sculpton and builder of an equestrian 
statue must have some controlling fixed idea, and that every feature of 
man and horse must coincide with and support that idea. In the de- 



Army of the Potomac. 47 

sign accepted the sculptor sought to represent Hartrauft coming home at 
the head of his victorious troops at the close of the war, riding through 
the streets of the city and receiving the plaudits of the people. This was 
the controlling idea, and eveily position of the man and every muscle of 
the horse must fit this idea. The man of course, the prominent and at- 
tractive feature, but as Mr. Ruckstuhl declared, he constructed the 
horse in such a way as to make the horse appear to say, "This is the old 
man's day, but I am in it, too." 

In the meantime the Survivors of the Division had arranged for an- 
other reunion at Harrisburg, in 1S97, at which time they hoped to have 
favorable action taken by the Legislature, and to then have the unveiling 
ceremonies of the equestrian statue. It takes time, however, to design, 
prepare and erect an equestrian statue, and the meeting for 1897 was 
postponed until the statue should be ready for unveiling. In due time 
the plaster cast of the heroic model was cast in bronze and exhibited to 
the commission in New York. The foundation in front of the main 
Capitol building was laid, the granite base placed in position, and the 
superstructure of polished Tennessee marble was ready for the placing 
of the bronze equestrian statue. 



FIFTH REUNION, 

A MOST glorious day for the people of Harrisburg was the 12th 
of May, 1899, the date fixed for the unveiling of the equestrian 
statue to Maj. Gen. Hartranft. Many regiments of the Na- 
tional Guard of Pennsylvania were present, and a large detachment of U. 
S. Volunteers from Camp Meade, who had just returned from the Cuban 
campaign of the Spanish War was also present to participate in the un- 
veiling ceremonies. In addition, the Grand Army af the Republic, the 
survivors of Hartranft's old regiment, and the survivors of the different 
regiments of the Third Division, were present and joined in the parade and 
paid their tribute of respect to their gallant old leader. Civic organiza- 
tions of all kinds and descriptions weile present, and also participated in 
the ceremonies, and from early morning until late at night the streets 
resounded with the strains of martial music, and to the marching of thou- 
sands of State and National soldiers. The evening before a camp fire of 
the Third Division was held in the House of Representatives, and was 
largely attended both by the survivors of the division, and by eminent offi- 
cers who had sen-ed during the Civil War. In many respects it was the 
happiest and most satisfactory reunion ever held. At this camp fire, in 
recognition of the services rendered the division especially in connection 
with the legislative work, on the equestrian statue commission, the chair- 
man of the executive committee of that commission was presented with a 
beautiful silver set suitably inscribed, the presentation speech being made 
by Gen. Levi A. Dodd, the commander of the regiment in which the 
chairman of the executive committee, Maj. I. B. Brown served in the 



48 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

Civil War. At this meeting the action of the commission in selecting Miss 
Mary Lenore Embick to unveil the monument was approved, and by reso- 
lution duly passed, Miss Embick was selected as the daughter of the di- 
vision . 

There was something very fitting in the selection of May 12th as the 
time for unveiling of the equestrian statue, for it was the anniversary of 
the promotion of General Hartranft to the rank of Brigadier General in 
the great Wilderness campaign of May, 1864. Up to this time Hartranft 
had acted as Colonel of Volunteers, most of the time commanding a 
brigade, and in one successful battle commanding a division as Colonel of 
Volunteers. On this occasion men of distinction in the councils of the 
nation brought their garlands and placed them reverently at the base of 
the great bronze equestiian statue of the illustrious Pennsylvania soldier. 

The executive committee had invited Mr. McKinley, then President of 
the United State to be present on this occasion, but owing to ofBcial en- 
gagements he was unable to be present, but sent his Secretary of War, 
Russel A. Alger! his Post Master General, Charles Emory Smith, and his 
Adjutant General, General Corbin. General Miles, then in command of 
the army was invited, and had agreed to be present, but on account of 
the feud existing between himself and Secretary of War, Alger, he re- 
fused to join the party. Governor Stone presided at the unveiling cere- 
monies, and there was presented to him a picture of Capitol Hill in splen- 
dor and beauty never before equalled. 

On the platform, among hundreds of others, were Gov. Stone and wife, 
Secretary Alger, Adjutant General Corbin, Post Master General Smith, 
Col. Merrick, Mrs. John Frederick Hartranft, Mr. Linn Hartranft, 
Mrs. Samuel Hartranft, the Misses Hartranft and Mrs. James W. Latta, 
and Miss Latta, also Mrs. Milton A. Embick, and Mrs. Isaac B. Brown. 

The ceremonies were most impressive, and it is scarcely possible to 
conceive of a more enchanting scene than was witnessed in the unveiling 
of this monument to an heroic soldier. The opening selection by the band 
was "Memories of the War," and was rendered by the Indian School 
Band. Then Gov. Stone introduced the ex-chaplain of the 205th Regiment, 
Rev. William A. Houck, of Mt. Carmel, who delivered a patriotic and 
eloquent prayer, after which the Steelton Band rendered ""Nearer My 
God to Thee," at the conclusion of which Gen. Levi A. Dodd conducted 
Miss Mai'y Lenore Embick to the pedestal of the statue. At a signal from 
Gov. Stone, Miss Embick pulled the cord, and the swathing flags fell 
away from the monument, and amid the prolonged applause from the 
thousands who witnessed the sight, the bronze man and horse were dis- 
closed to view. Just as the flags fell, the artillery posted upon the banks 
of the Susquehanna fired the first gun of the Major General's salute of 
seventeen guns, and the Steelton Band played our inspiring hymn, 
"The Star Spangled Banner." 

Then Gov. Stone introduced the orator of the day. Major Isaac B. 
Brown, who delivered the following address: 



Army of the Potomac. 49 

ADDRESS OF MAJOR ISAAC BROWNELL BROWN AT THE UN- 
VEILING OF THE HARTRANFT EQUESTRIAN STATUE, AT 
HARRISBURG, MAY 12, 1899. 

OF ARMS and the hero I sing, who, compelled by fate, first came 
from Troy to Italy and the Lavinian coast. Much was he 
tossed about both on land and sea by the force of the su- 
preme and the lasting wrath of the cruel Juno ; much also did he suffer from 
war while he was building the city and leading the gods to Latium." Thus 
does the immortal Virgil first intiX)duce his hero in his masterpiece, the 
Aeneid. 

"To-day the story may be briefly unfolded of a man and a hero — that 
distinguished son of Pennsylvania, John Frederick Hartranft, represented 
in that equestrian statue, who, undei' the insignia of the cross cannon 
and anchor, following the fortunes of the old Ninth Corps, was tossed 
about both on land and on sea like Virgil's Aeneas, and suffered likewise 
from the havoc of war in the greatest conflict of arms that was ever 
withstood by a civilized nation. 

"Our hero heard the first clash of arms in the south, and in the beauty 
and splendor of his young manhood brought to this Capitol city the 
Fourth Pennsylvania Infantry, and as rapidly as persistent effort could 
accomplish it, deployed its lines in the presence of the enemy at Fair- 
fax, Virginia 

"When the two armies were confronting each other on the Plains of 
Manassas on that fatal day of July, when the hopes of the nation were 
concentrated in the hastily organized army, not an organization from 
the Keystone State participated in the battle or suffered in the humilia- 
tion of defeat. Our hero was there, however, and magnificently repre- 
sented this State as a volunteer aide on the staff of General Frank- 
lin. The term of his three months' regiment had scarcely expired before 
Hartranft was again moving to the field of action with another body of 
Pennsylvanians whose heroic deeds were to make resplendent and whose 
blood was to consecrate so many fields of battle. This organization be- 
came the gallant, the bullet riddled, the war scarred 51st Pennsylvania 
Volunteer Infantry that remained at the front until the days of Appo- 
mattox. 

"At the head of this regiment he joined the coast expedition under 
Burnisde, that command which had scarcely embarked on transports be- 
fore the great waves of the Atlantic scattered the ships to the four winds 
of the earth. The Roman Legions under Julius Caesar, driven by stoiins 
against the white cliffs of Albion in their expedition against the ancient 
Britons, could scarcely have encountered more tempestuous seas than 
did Hartranft and his fellow soldiers as they coasted along the Atlantic. 
But, braving the storms and waves, passing tempestuous Hatteras and 



50 Third Division, IVinth Corps, 

entering Pamlico Sound, tlie fortifications of Roanoke Island were soon 
discovered, before which Hartranft disembarked his command and im- 
mediately led it through the almost impenetrable swamps in an assault on 
the Confederate fortifications. 

"Quickly following came Newbern and all the engagements of that 
historic expedition in which Hartranft exhibited his wonderful powers 
as a regimental and brigade commander. Having conquered the ter- 
ritory along the Atlantic coast, the troops and the armament of the ex- 
pedition were again afloat, to be driven hither and thither by storms 
and surging seas, 'on the return voyage. In the fortunes of war, he 
led his command into the second battle at Manassas, and in the dark- 
ness of Chantilly he showed his valor in an advance upon the enemy, 
In which he was only discovered by the flash of his guns. This great 
Maryland campaign gave new opportunities to test his metal. Through 
the passes and over South Mountain he led his men in the heroic charges 
where the gallant Reno died. Then closely followed the most sanguinary 
struggle at Antietam, in which Hartranft, then back in command of his 
old regiment, held a position near the famous Stone Bridge. Burnside 
gave peremptory orders for Hartranft to storm the bridge with the 51st 
Pennsylvania. If the "Wheat Field" was the "Vortex" of the battle 
at Gettysburg, if "Round Top" was the key to the situation in that 
glorious struggle, then the bridge at Antietam was the salient, the 
coveted prize and the great point of vantage. Into the severest storm 
of leaden hail, into a concentrated fire of musketry and artillery, Har- 
tranft led his old regiment, captured, held and defended the Stone Bridge, 
which act alone made the name of Hartranft forever illustrious in the 
annals of American warfare and should have given him the rank of a 
brigadier. 

"Another scene of war opens on that dread thirteenth of December, 
when Hartranft, in command of four regiments, stood on the banks of 
the Rappahannock waiting to cross its gloomy waters — that river which 
seemed perdition and all the gates of Inferno opposite. With that 
loyalty to country and commanders which characterized his military career, 
he led his men into the jaws of death and made a heroic assault on the 
invulnerable heights of Fredericksburg, advancing and intrenching his 
lines and implanting his standard immediately under the dread throats 
of the enemy's artillery, where He held his position until most of the army 
had retired to the north bank of the river. 

"In the shifting scenes incident to the military record of Hartranft, he 
is discovered on the shores of the Mississippi in command of a brigade 
supporting the indomitable Grant in the siege of Vieksburg, and soon 
after he entered the capital city of Mississippi with the victorious column 
of the old Ninth Corps ; whence he moved rapidly into the mountains of 
Kentucky and Tennessee, crossing their turbulent rivers, entering their 
mountain defiles, surmounting their loftiest altitudes, penetrating the 
forests of the dark and bloody ground and with his flashing swoi-xJ always 
pointing the way for his gallant troops. 



Army of the Potomac. 51 

"The splendor of a soldier's heroic achievements always adds luster to 
the nation's brightest glories. Judgment, strategy and bravery are es- 
sential elements to constitute a successful military commander. In Hartranft 
these elements were in a marked degree exhibited in all his distin- 
guished ser^'ice, thus reflecting additional brilliancy upon the American 
arms. His powers as a commander were put to a crucial test when, only 
a colonel of volunteers, he was placed in command of the Second Division 
of the Ninth Corps in Tennessee. There the army under Burnside was 
confronted by a force augmented by Longstreet, who had withdrawn his 
old Firfet Corps, that great phalanx of Confederate veterans, from the 
army of Northern Virginia. As the formidable force under Longstreet 
approached the Union position, they were met by Hartranft and their 
advance checked. As Longstreet deployed his lines, he found at every 
point a portion of Hartranft's command to retard his advance. Under the 
personal direction of Hartranft regiments were changed from one flank to 
the other, as necessity required, and by the keenest strategy time was 
gained which enabled Burnside's command to escape to Knoxville. 

"All the world admired the stand that George H. Thomas made at 
Chickamauga, where his stubbornness immortalized his name as the 
"Rock of Chickamauga." History may emphasize the strategy of Xeno- 
phon and magnify his sagacity in accomplishing the retreat of the "Ten 
Thousand Greeks" from the Tigris and from destruction by the Persian 
host, but where in the history of heroic deeds of heroic commanders can 
be found the record of a colonel who, in charge of the command of a 
Major General, handled troops with greater skill, more invincible courage, 
than was exhibited by Hartranft when placed in battle array with Long- 
street, charged with the responsibility of saving an army from capture? 

Great as were his achievements in this conflict, however eminent the 
valor and sagacity displayed, for some unaccountable cause his merited 
promotion was delayed, and still as a colonel, he brought back the 
gallant old 51st Regiment to Pennsylvania on its veteran furlough in the 
winter of 1864. 

"Burnside had several times asked for his advancement and demanded 
that Hartranft should accompany him to the Secretary of War that justice 
might be done. Hartranft not only refused to go, but objected to any 
solicitation on the part of his friends, saying, "I feel assured that justice 
will be done me at Washington at the proper time." 

"Again the scenes change, for Hartranft has left the fields of conflict 
in the southwest and is again with his comrades in the old Army of the 
Potomac, at the head of a brigade, on the banks of the Rapidan, ready 
to cross that "Rubicon" to enter the carnage of the Wilderness. 

"The hero of Belmont, of Shiloh, of Donaldson and of Vicksburg, had 
just come from the west and unsheathed his sword above the bristling 
bayonets of the Army of the Potomac — the greatest chief tan, the great- 
est soldier and the most formidable army that ever marched under the 
banner of Christian civilization. 



52 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

"From the crossing of the Rapidan to Spottsylvania , in that maelstrom 
of never ceasing clash of anns, in the whirlwind of impetuous charges, 
Hartranft was everywhere conspicuous, leading, directing and controlling 
events of which those bloody days were most prolific. , 

"It was just then, thirty-five years ago to-day, that the nation placed 
upon the shoulders of our hero the single star of a brigadier, and though 
it had been earned by meritorious services on other fields of conflict, it 
seemed to shine brightly because of its delay in coming to one who 
had so gallantly earned it in as faithful service as was ever rendered the 
American Union. 

"No pen can ever portray, songs of poets or eloquence of sages describe 
the campaign of Grant with the Army of the Potomac, but however 
severe the conflict, however dangerous the exploits, Hartrftnft was always 
where the battle raged in greatest fury. 

"When the army had hewn its way from Spottsylvania through Cold 
Harbor and crossed the James, it went into the memorable siege of 
Petersburg. Here a change of command was given Hartranft. One day 
in the fall of 1864, six thousand stalwart Pennsylvanians who had ren- 
dered a few months' service in the "Army of the James," moved across 
the pontoons of the Appomattox, ascended the heights of Petersburg and 
stacked arms among the bronzed veterans of the Army of the Potomac. 
Six thousand glittering bayonets! Six thousand muskets in the hands of 
the sons of the Keystone State ! Regiments oflicered by men who had 
previously sei'ved in the great army ! Regiments whose rank and file were 
largely made up of beardless boys ! 

"ITiese Pennsylvanians had withstood an assault at Bermuda Hundred 
of Pickett's Old Division, and yet as an organization there was wanting 
a commander. Oh! Fortune, thou wert most kind and true to these 
Pennsylvanians! It was a great day to them, in memory still adored, 
when the gallant commander of the old 51st Pennsylvania assumed com- 
mand of that organization which became the Third Division of the Ninth 
Corps . 

"If the sculptor of that equestrian statue could have seen him as he 
appeared when assuming command of this body of troops, he could not 
more perfectly represented him in bronze. 

"To-day his soldierly bearing, his stern but gentle demeanor and his 
piercing black eyes are remembered. Every act, every word, every ex- 
pression on his splendid face impressed all with his absolute fidelity to 
duty and his superiority as a commander. No soldier from Alexander the 
Great, down through the generations of time ever sat moi'»e superbly on a 
horse than did Hartranft. 

"This division of Pennsylvanians he led in the Weldon Raid, in the 
cold and storm of Hatcher's Run, in the long siege of Petersburg, in the 
carnage of Fort Stedman, in the assault before Fort Hell and through 
the closing scenes of the great conflict. 

In the fortunes of war, it fell to Hartranft to meet, check and repulse 



Army of the Potomac. 53 

the last, grand, offensive movement of Lee's Army in iNortnem Vir- 
ginia. The Confederate General Gordon, under the cover of darkness 
on that early March morning in 1S65, moved upon Fort Stedman and ad- 
jacent fortifications, killing, wounding, capturing, oi' driving precipi- 
tately the troops that occupied them. Encouraged by his success, the 
enemy moved rapidly toward the military road for the purpose of cutting 
the Army of the Potomac in twain. This body of Confederate veterans 
passed rapidly through the embattlemeuts of the Union lines, descended 
into the ravine and went surging up the hill like the waves of the ocean, 
carrying evei'^-thing before it in a wild, heroic, but desperate assault. 
Almost in sight of the military road these Confederates came abruptly 
upon the bayonets of some of the troops of the Third Division, with Hart- 
ranft personally directing their movements. These Pennsylvanians stood 
like a wall squarely in the path of the advancing Confederates. 

"In a few moments the other regiments of the Division came rapidly 
upon the field, some of them in double time, from far distant camps. 
It was a gallant spectacle as these regiments, with well filled ranks and 
banners fluttering in the breeze, swung into their assigned positions. 

"Orders were heralded from Corps Headquarters for Hartranft to im- 
mediately recapture Stedman. Directions were quickly sent to regi- 
mental commanders to be ready to move on a signal which was to be 
the forward movement of one of the regiments placed in a conspicuous 
position in sight not only of the enemy, but of the commanders of all 
of Hartranft's regiments. The movement was about to begin when an 
officers dashed hurriedly to Hartranft with orders directing a delay until 
the arrival of re-inforcements. Here was the great emergency in the 
life of Hartranft ! He felt an absolute assurance that his assault would 
result in the recapture of Stedman. It was a moment when the keenest 
power of discernment was required, and Hartranft in his entire service 
never lacked the coolness to decide right. Delay might enable the Con- 
federates to throw into the wide open gates of Stedman a powerful re-in- 
forcing column ! 

"The immortal Lincoln knew when the time was ripe to promulgate the 
Emancipation tPuoclamation . Another «f our great Americans, 'our 
Honored President McKinley, knew just the time to marshal American 
freemen under the banner of Christian civilization and give freedom to 
those oppressed by Spanish rule. Admiral Dewey, in far away Manila 
Bay, with commendable coolness knew when to say, "Fire when you are 
ready, Gridley." So Hartranft knew the time had arrived for him to 
move to the assault in the recapture of Stedman, and he disregarded the 
delay orders, took his life and his reputation in his hands and led the 
signalling regiment in that historic charge. The annals of warfare have 
rarely, if ever exhibited a more magnificent marshal array than that 
presented by the Third Division when it moved forward for the recapture 
of Fort Stedman. Rarely has a more brilliant victory been achieved. 

"Fortunately for Hartranft, President Lincoln was with the Army of 



54 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

the Potomac that day. The merits of Hartranft could no longer be 
disregarded. His fame and name at once became national. He was 
lauded by corps and army commanders, by Congress, by the President, 
and was immediately breveted a Major-General of Volunteers. 

"Hartranft issued few orders to his troops. Men obeyed him and never 
thought of doing otherwise. There have been times when troops have 
paused to advance when ordered by the greatest commanders of the 
world, but no instance of that kind occurred in the military service of 
General Hartranft. 

"The power of one man is almost omnipotent when he can send an as- 
sailing column against a force intrenched behind invulnerable fortifica- 
tions, when the charge means a thousand men must fall. There was in 
Hartranft a hidden power which inspired men with courage to go wherever 
his order directed. 

"How omnipotent seemed his power when he stood upon the parapets 
of Fort Sedgwick on the early Sunday morning of April, 1865. Imme- 
diately in front of him in line of battle lay the soldiers of his Division 
resting upon their arms, waiting in suspense for the signal to advance. 
Five hundred yards in front stretihed the ponderous fortifications, be- 
hind which were sheltered the Confederates. The heavens seemed filled 
with falling and I'ising meteors, shaking the earth so that at times it 
seemed to have left its orbit. From the fortifications arose the belching 
artillery smoke and the flashing fire gleamed red through the dense mist 
and darkness. All seemed to eddy and swirl and roll before Hartranft 
like a devouring tempest of fire! On either side of him, from the opening 
mouths of Fort "Hell" the Union batteries were spitting their fires, but 
the intrepid Hartranft stood there in the darkness, only discernable 
through the fiash of artillery discharges. Suddenly there was a pause 
in the thunder of the artillery. A signal for an advance was given. 
Would these Pennsylvanians arise and advance? Would they quail in 
this emergency? Would they advance and be hurled back in the tempest 
of war's most fearful havoc? Hartranft was in command, and there 
was no reasoning why? Onward they went into the smoke, into the lurid 
flash of battle. Hartranft beheld them as they crossed the enemy's picket 
lines ; caught a glimpse of them when they reached the almost impene- 
trable abatis, where strong hands seized and tore away the formidable 
obstructions and like a resistless avalanche broke the bolts and bars of 
the chevaux-de-frise, plunged into the waters of the bloody ditch, sur- 
mounted the fortifications, and as the first rays of eai-ly sunrise ap- 
peared, our superb hero, who still stood on Sedgwick, saw the flags of 
his Divison floating from the captured fortifications — the strongest ever 
defended by Confederate soldiers. 

"These are glimpses of the record of Hartranft as a soldier. A record 
that is bejeweled with the brightest gems that illumine the nation's 
diadem of glories ! His heroism shines with meridian splendor ! His 
valor brightens the pages of American history and adds the most brilliant 



Army of the Potomac. 55 

luster to the glories of American arms ! His acliievemeuts give liim a 
foremost place in the immortal congregation of America's distinguished 
soldiers! His manliness, his sterling integrity, his dauntless courage, and 
his calm intrepiditj' — -calmest in the presence of the enemy — gave assur 
ance to the people of Pennsylvania of their faith in him, as they chose 
him the Chief Executive of the Keystone State. This confidence was jus- 
tified by his fidelity in every function and in the unswerving loyalty to 
his friends. 

"Comrades, you, his old companions in arms who are gathered around 
this monument ; you who followed , loved , served and obeyed the old 
commander ; you who come in your advanced age ; you who come bur- 
dened with the weight of fatiguing campaigns ; you of the old gallant 
51st Pennsylvania, who come with honored scars incurred in the many 
battles in which you fought; you of the Third Division, the heroes of 
Stedman and the Siege of Petersburg ; to you this is the day of almost 
supreme joy, that the old Commonwealth has placed in bronze, on the 
Capitol Grounds at Harrisburg, her superb and distinguished citizen 
soldier, John Frederick Hartranft, and that you, in the providence of 
Almighty God, have lived to see the realization of your fond hopes. All 
hail loyal Pennsylvania for thus commemorating the services of our ideal 
volunteer soldier who has joined the majority of those he commanded, 
rapidly assembling and marshalling on the shore of Eternity, whither 
you must so soon report to the Great Commander of all. 

"It is a somewhat solemn 'commentary that to the survivors of the great 
army the lengthening shadows are rapidly growing ! The sunset is ap- 
proaching ! The evening gun will soon be fired ! The tatoo sounded ! 
And from the heroic bugle, solemn "taps" will echo the final muster out. 

"Following these departing heroes, comes the swelling tide of future 
generations, and looking down the vista of time, we may behold this 
seemingly endless column swinging into line and marching up to the 
fields of human action, replacing generations that melt away before 
them with that resistless fate common to the human race. The towers, 
the monuments and the tombs upon the Appian AVay were erected to im- 
press the Roman citizen with the power of kings and the glories of the 
Roman Empire. 

"Let the monuments we erect, such as we have here unveiled |p-day, 
be a guide to these rising columns of futuiie Americans and be teachers 
of patriotism and devotion to our flag and land ! 

"Now, imperishable granite and bronze, truthfully representing the hero 
of Stedman, as heroic as he was when, in the prime of life mounted 
upon his superb charger as our beloved commander — stand here as a 
sentinel on the embattlements of our great nation ! The granite of New 
England and the granite of the South combined in thy foundation, denote 
the perpetuity of the American Republic and ai-e also emblematic of the 
re-uniting of all the people of this happy land. Stand — as a beacon to 



56 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

guide the nation's children in the path of loyalty ! Stand — to be a well- 
spring of patriotism from which the future sons and daughters of Penn- 
sylvania may drink copiously ! Stand— near the banks of the beautiful 
Susquehanna, with its murmuring waters moving resistlessly from the 
mountains to the sea, and proclaim in silent eloquence how the hero of 
Stedman served his country in the hour of its peril. Stand here — and 
resist the elements and the decay of time — only excelled in thy indestruc- 
tibility by the indestructibility of this American Union." 

Following the address of Major Brown, speeches were made by Gen. 
Kyd Douglas, of the Confederate Army, by Charles Emory Smith, by 
Gen. Corbin and R. A. Alger, Secretary of War. At the conclusion of 
their addresses, a call was made for the sculptor, Mr. F. W. Ruckstuhl, 
who was introduced by the Governor, and the manner in which he was re- 
ceived indicated the general approval of the work that was the product of 
his hand and brain. 

Gen. Dodd was selected as Chief Mrshal of the parade, and was much 
admired by all his comrades for his soldierly bearing. 

In the account of the unveiling ceremonies, there are many important 
features that should be given a place in the history of the occasion and the 
part taken by the survivors of the Third Division, which unfortunately the 
space assigned to us will not permit us to mention. 

Thus there was erected this equestrian statue to Major General Hart- 
ranft to commemoi^ate his distinguished services entirely within the sum 
appropriated by the Legislature for that purpose, the entire expense be- 
ing a trifle less than $18,000, or .$1.5,000 less than was paid by the State 
for either of the equestrian statues hereinbefore referred to erected on the 
battlefield of Gettysburg. The action of the commission was highly com- 
mended, foB it was generally expected that they would come back to the 
Legislature at some subsequent session and ask for a deficiency appropria- 
tion. No one took a more just pride in the results of the work that was 
assigned to this commission by the act of the Legislature than did the 
Survivors of the old division. 



FIFTH REUNION. 

ON THE 17th of May, 1901, the fifth reunion of the Survivors was 
held at Harrisburg under most favorable conditions, it being the 
fiist reunion after the unveiling of the Hartranft equestrian 
statue. The several regiments held their reunions in the different apart- 
ments of the State Capitol, and embraced the opportunity of recounting 
many of the incidents of their service in the Army of the James, and the 
Army of the Potomac. The members of the 200th Regiment always felt 
justified in recalling the stand they made in checking the advance of 
the Confederate Army at the time of the battle of Fort Stedman. Hart- 



Army of the Potomac. 57 

nanft at one time had said that the bravery of the 200th Regiment in 
holding the enemy at bay undoubtedly had a most potent influence in hast- 
ening Appomattox, for the reason that had the Confederate plans to sever 
the Army of the Potomac and destroy its base of supplies succeeded, Ap- 
pomattox would have bean delayed. Among the hundreds of regiments of 
which the Army of the Potomac was composed, that participated in the 
Siege of Petersburg, a single regiment may be regarded as a pawn on the 
chess board of war. Yet a single regiment placed in a particular position 
may have had an opportunity to deliver such telling blows to the enemy 
as to materially affect the general results. This was certainly true of the 
200th Regiment. When so placed by Hartranft it was enabled by an ex- 
hibition of valor to decide the results of the conflict at Stedman, and 
thus hasten the dawn of peace. 

Not often have regimental commands responded with greater earnestness 
and determination than did this regiment, and if at its reunions the surviv- 
ors have dwelt upon the incident, and felt a glory in the victory won, they 
have been justified in so doing. 

At the reunions of the 205th Regiment, the survivors have taken great 
pride in the heroic conduct of their major at the battle of Foi*t Mahone, 
and in the heroic conduct of its oflBcers and men. 

The 207th Regiment in the assault on Fort Mahone lost more officers 
and men than any other regiment in the Army of the Potomac, and at 
their reunions they have never failed to express their admiration for their 
Colonel, Robert C. Cox, who in command of their brigade, led them so 
gallantly. 

The 20Sth Regiment was justified in telling of the valor exhibited by 
that regiment at Stedman, when they formed a line at right angles to the 
main fortification, and assisted the troops of the First Division in pre- 
venting the further destruction of the Union embattlements. They were 
also justified in the satisfaction they felt as they responded so willingly to 
the orders for the assault in front of Fort Sedgwick. 

The 209th survivors also spoke with pride at the support they gave 
the 200th Regiment at the carnage of Stedman, and of the bravery of 
their officers not only at Stedman, but in other engagements where they 
were called upon to meet the enemy. 

The suirvivors of the 211th Regiment at any of their reunions never 
failed to refer to the part they played in the battle of Fort Stedman, and 
in the sanguinary siege of Petersburg. In the history of the wars of the 
United States it has not often occurred that a regiment encamped more 
than five miles from the scene of battle was called upon in the manner in 
which the 211th was called upon on the morning of March 25th, 1865. 
When the order came to them at break of day to move to the rear line of 
works near Meade's Station, a distance of over five miles, it was not a 
"march," nor a "double quick," it was a dead run to get into the battle 
line and participate in the final assault. On its way to the engagement 



58 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

it was observed by the enemy many times, and whenever it was in sight 
of the enemy's artillery, the air was filled with shells, but it never feazed 
the regiment on its onward rush to battle. When it appeared on the top 
of the hill near Meade's Station, formed its line of battle, fixed bayonets, 
and moved to the front, it was in view of all the other regiments of the 
division, as well as that of the enemy. Hartranft was waiting for the 
arrival of this regiment before ordering the assault, and he led it to the 
desired position in full view of the Confederates. It was an inspiration 
to him when, at 7:30 A. M., on that morning he observed the long line 
of the 211th on the hill, and he said, "The regiment lifted itself with ca- 
denced step over the brow of the hill, and swept down in magnificent style 
toward Fort Stedman." 

These are a few incidents of the war to which reference is always made 
at all reunions, and the record of these regiments as inscribed on the pages 
of American history, certainly reflects no little credit upon the soldiers of 
Pennsylvania. 

At the fifth reunion one conspicuous figure was absent. He who had 
commanded the Ninth Corps in so many of its campaigns and battles, had 
responded to the grim messenger; General John G. Parke was no more. 
A committee was appointed to take appropriate action with reference to 
the life and services of this distinguished soldier, and a report was 
made prior to the adjournment of the reunion. The following is the re- 
port of the committee: 

Since our last meeting upon the occasion of the unveiling of the statue of 
our heroic commander, Major General John F. Hartranft, death has been 
busy in the ranks of his division, and has reaped almost as rich a harvest 
as upon the deadly plains before Fort Stedman and Petersburg. Our 
division is scattered throughout nearly every county of Pennsylvania, and 
its members dwell all the way from the Atlantic coast to the Rocky Moun- 
tains. It is therefore impossible to note each one as he falls. It is only 
when the assembly is sounded, when the men are ordered into line, that 
the roll call reveals the absence of many loved comrades who so gallantly 
performed their whole duty in the field. Within the past two years death 
has spared neither field officers nor stafif ; neither line ofiicers nor the men 
who marched in the ranks. We yield a willing tribute to their valor in 
war, their fidelity as citizens of a united country, and we render honor 
to their memory. 

To the two living generals of our Division, General Robert C. Cox, of 
Wellsboro, and General Levi A. Dodd, of Baltimore, and to many other 
comrades who on account of illness or affliction are not with us to-day, we 
send kindly greeting, and we cherish the hope that they may meet with us 
at our next reunion. 

The commander of our corps, the friend of our own Hartranft, has 
also passed away, and we are called upon to-day to record our estimate 
of his worth and of our own sorrow. 



Army of the Potomac. 59 

John G. Parke was boru in Pennsylvania, September 22^ 1S27. Gradu- 
ating from West Point in 1849, he joined the engineer corps of the U. S. 
Army. Shortly after the outbreak of the Rebellion, he was made Briga- 
dier General of Volunteers, and commanded a brigade in the expedition to 
North Carolina, under his old friend General Burnside. He participated 
in that victorious campaign, and for signal services rendered was pro- 
moted to the rank of major general. 

Throughout the war he saw only active service. Wherever the Ninth 
Corps was, there was Parke. In the battles and sieges of North Caro- 
lina, at South Mountain and Antietam, in Maryland and before Vicks- 
burg, and at Jackson in the far west. Returning eastward, we see him 
in Kentucky and Tennessee, defending that flag which to him was a sa- 
cred symbol. Shut up in Knoxville during the siege, his calm self-posses- 
sion, his skill and untiring energy, were potent factors in the heroic de- 
fense, and in those decisive victories which drove back the enemy, and 
saved the beleagured city. 

Back again in Virginia, we find him taking part in that memorable cam- 
paign under Grant, from the Rapidan to Petersburg. 

From August, 1864, he was in command of the N'inth Army Corps, 
and his services in the field ceased only at Appomattox. The war over, 
he resumed his duties in the engineer department, where he rendered 
eminent, though inconspicuous services to his country. 

For two years he was superintendent of the U. S. Military Academy, 
at West Point. In 1889, upon the expiration of forty years of faithful 
and continuous service, he was retired at his own request. 

Such in brief was Parke as a soldier, but friendship marks his death 
with no common sorrow, and let us regard him for a moment as a man. 

His innate and unaffected modesty, the absence in his character of any 
trace of selfish ambition, made General Parke less conspicuous latterly 
than many men of inferior mould. 

Within the home circle, and among his friends, his warm and generous 
affections were expended, and the charm of his character appreciated. 

In the unchangeable verities of the Christian religion. General Parke 
was a sincere believer. His simple faith prompted him to works of 
mercy and love. It hallowed his joys and sustained him in the crushing 
sorrow which overshadowed the evening of his life. The gallant and 
knightly Parke will not sleep forgotten. In the grateful recollection of his 
countrymen his fame is secure. His private virtues will long be garnered 
up in the hearts of his sorrowing friends, and we who served under him 
place on record this tribute of gratitude for what General Parke was to 
his country, and to his comrades. 

Committee: Col. R. H. I. Goddard, chairman; Capt. George Graybill, 
T. Whittaker, Maj. M. G. Hale, Dr. J. E, Van Camp, Captain Sands, 
Maj. A. C. Huidekoper. 



60 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

SIXTH REUNION. 

ON THE 27th of March, 1903, the survivors again assembled in 
reunion at Harrisburg. While the grim harvester, death, had 
greatly decimated the ranks of the survivors of the division, still 
a goodly number responded to the call ; yet the hand of time had been 
heavy upon the Survivors, and many who would have been glad to be 
present, found it more compatible with their condition to remain at home. 
The reunion was held in the House of Representatives, as well as the 
camp fire in the evening. The Indian School Band from Carlisle was 
present. Hon. Samuel Pennypacker was then governor, and delivered a 
most excellent speech to the Survivors. Prior to his introduction the 
band played "Memories of the War." It is not difficult to understand 
what an inspiring effect this medley of the songs of war time has upon 
the minds of the surviving soldiers when beautifully rendered, and the 
presence of the Indian School Band furnished the theme for the intro- 
duction of Governor Pennypacker's speech. He said he was delighted to 
be present not only to meet the soldiers of Hartranft's Division, but also 
to speak in the presence of representatives of the first inhabitants of 
America, and to observe from them the possibilities of development in the 
descendants of the original inhabitants of the country. 



SEVENTH REUNION. 

AT HARRISBURG, on May 24th, 1906, the seventh and last re- 
union of the division was held. 
At this reunion legislation was asked for that a monument 
might be erected on one of the battlefields of Petersburg to commemorate 
the services of the six regiments of Pennsylvania Volunteers that consti- 
tuted the Third Division of the Ninth Corps. The Survivors felt justified 
in making this request for the reason that all of the Pennsylvania men who 
participated in the battle of Gettysburg had had monuments erected on 
that field in commemoration of their services on other battlefields in Vir- 
ginia, Mississippi, and Tennessee, and in other States the Legislatures 
had provided for the erectU)n of monuments to regimental commands. It 
was also felt that there was merit in the services of these six regiments 
that would justify the Legislature in making the necessary appropriation. 
It is true that the State had been liberal in its appropriation for the 
equestrian statue of Hartranft, who was the commander of the division, 
yet while the Survivors felt that Hartranft was a most potent factor in 
making them the soldiers they proved to be in action, and for whom they 
felt the greatest admiration, still knowing full well that the star he won 
at Stedman could not have been so won except through the services of the 
officers and men of the Third Division, it did not seem out of place to ask 
the Commonwealth that as a division they have placed on the soil of Vir- 
ginia a monument that would tell future generations of the gallant part 






ti 







Army of the Potomac. 61 

the Third Division took in secairing the perpetuity of the American Union. 
Therefore a resolution was passed and a committee appointed, which was 
instructed to prepare a bill, have it introduced into the legislature, and 
take whatever action might be necessary to secure its passage and ap- 
proval. 

Before adjournment a resolution was passed to have the eighth reunion 
held at Harrisburg two years hence, but owing to delays incident to the 
erection of the monument at Petersburg, it was thought advisable to post- 
pone the next reunion until the time should be fixed for the unveiling of 
the monument. When, however, the time came for the unveiling of the 
monument at Petersburg, and the Survivors appeared on the historic and 
sanguinary field of the Siege of Petersburg, the fatigue incident to the 
ceremonies was so great that the Survivors had to abandon holding the re- 
union at Petersburg. Since that time no arrangements have ever been 
made for another reunion, and none may ever be held. 



THE PETERSBURG MONUMENT. 

IN PURSUANCE of the action taken at the Seventh Annual Reun- 
ion of the survivors of the division at Harrisburg, a bill was pre- 
pared making an appropriation for the erection of the monument, 
and for the appointment of a commission to give efficacy to the provisions 
of the bill. The following is a copy of the act. It is found in Pamphlet 
Laws of 1907, page 623. 

No. 485. 
AN ACT 

To provide for the appointment of the Battlefield Commission of the Third Division, 
Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac, and empowering that Commission to erect 
a monument on the battlefield of Petersburg, commemorative of the services rendered 
and' the bravery displayed by the troops of Pennsylvania composing the First and Second 
Brigades of tlie Third Divisicm oomnuiiKlcrt by the hite Hrevet M.-ijnr (Jciieral 
John Frederick Hartranft; and making an appropriation for the cost of such monu- 
ment, its erection and dedication, the expenses of the Commission, and the trans- 
portation of the survivors of said troops from Pennsylvania to Petersburg, Virginia 
and return, at the time of the dedication of such monument. 

Whereas, In the summer of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four six regi- 
ments of infantry of Pennsylvania Volunteers were recruited, and served during the 
balance of the war in the Army of the James and in the Army of the Potomac, and 
during their services in the Army of the Potomac they constituted the First and Second 
l'.rig;;i(les of the Third Division, Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac, commanded hy 
Brevet Major General John Frederic Hartranft, said brigades being composed of the 
Two Hundredth, Two Hundred and Fifth, Two Hundred and Seventh, Two Hundred 
and Eighth, Two niindred and Ninth and Two Hundred and Eleventh Regiments, Penn- 
sylvania Volunteer Infantry; and 

Whereas, Said regiments of Infantry of the Pennsylvania line, for practically their 
entire term of service were in the presence of the enemy and under fire constantly, 
participating in the engagements at Bernnida Hundred, the Weldon Raid, the Hatcher's 
Run eampnign, the Siege of Petersburg, the battle of Fort Stedman. and tlie battle 
of Petersburg, and in the two latter engagements suffered great loss and exhibited 
gallantry and heroism rarely excelled in the history of warfare, their conduct being so 
Callant as to merit special orders of commendation from General Meade, in command of 
5 



62 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

the Army of the Potomac, and Lieutenant General Grant, then In command of the armies 
0t the United States, and by virtue of, which Brigadier General Frederick Hartranft, 
in immediate command, was raised to the rank of Brevet Major General United States 
Volunteers ; and 

Whereas, Provision has heretofore been made for the erection of monuments on battle- 
fields, commemorative of the services of other Pennsylvania organizations, none having 
been up to this time erected to commemorate the distinguished services of these troops 
of the Pennsylvania line: therefore 

Section I. Be it enacted, &c. , That the Governor of the Commonwealth be and he 
is hereby empowered to appoint a commission, to be known as the Battlefield Com- 
mission of the third Division, Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac; said Commission to 
comprise one surviving veteran from each of the six regiments of Pennsylvania Volun- 
teers that constituted the First and Second Brigades of the Third Division, Ninth Corps, 
Army of the Potomac, said regiments being the Two Hundredth, Two Hundred and Fifth, 
Two Hundred and Seventh, Two Hundred and Eighth, Two Hundred and Ninth and Two 
Hundred and Eleventh Regiments of Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry: Provided, That the 
president of each regimental association shall nominate to the Governor a suitable 
veteran for appointment on said Commission; and provided further, That the Governor 
of the Commonwealth shall be ex-officio a member of such Commission, clothed with 
the same pov^er as other members of said commission. 

Section 2. That as soon as practicable after the members of said Commission shall 
have been selected, as provided for in the first section of this act, the members thereof 
shall meet at the State Capitol in Harrisburg, and organize by the election of a 
President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and such committees as, under the usual rules of 
procedure, said Commission shall deem proper. That when said Commission ihall have 
been so organized it shall be empowered and authorized to erect, or cause to be erected, 
a suitable monument, on either the battlefield of Fort Stedman, or the battlefield of 
Petersburg, commemorative of the services of the men of the First and Second Brigades 
of the Third Division, Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac, composed of the Two 
Hundred and Fifth, Two Hundred' and Seventh, Two Hundred and Eighth, Tw'o Hundred 
and Ninth, and Two Hundred and Eleventh regiments, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 
commanded by Brevet Major General John Frederick Hartranft, That said Commission 
is empowered to select a site for the erection of a monument on one of the battlefields 
named. If on the battlefield of Fort Stedman, it shall be at or near the location of 
Fort Stedman, which fort was recaptured from the Confederates on the twenty-fifth of 
March, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five; and if on the battlefield of Peters- 
burg, it shall be at or near Fort Mahone, upon which these troops made a successful 
assault on the morning of the second of April, one thousand eight hundred and sixty- 
five. That said Commission shall have power to purchase such plot or plots of ground, 
in the name of the Commonwealth, as may seem to such Commission as essential, upon 
which to erect the monument herein provided; and shall have, also, supervision over the 
exercises Which may be had in the dedication of said monument ; and shall have power 
to have such inscriptions and data placed on said monument as they may deem proper 
in relation to the distinguished services of these regiments of the Pennsylvania line. In 
the war for the perpetuity of this Republic. 

Section 3. That at the time of the dedication of the monument, as provided in the 
second section of this act, said Battlefield Commission be and is hereby authoried and 
empowered to arrange, over the most direct line of railroad, transportation for the 
survivors of the Pennsylvania Regiments referred to in this act from their nearest 
railroad point In Pennsylvania to the city of Petersburg, Virginia, and return; and 
if such surviving soldiers shall reside outside of the State of Pennsylvania, their 
transportation shall be furnished from the nearest railroad point in Pennsyvania to their 
place of residence, and from such railroad point to Petersburg and return; it being un- 
derstood that all honorably discharged survivors of these organizations shall be fur- 
nished transportation as herein indicated, that they may attend the dedication of the 
monument to be erected by this act. 

Section 4. That said Commission shall have full power to arrange a system of blanks 
upon which application for transportation may be made, which blanks, among other 
things, shall provide for the full name of the surviving veteran making appplication, his 
age. place of residence, the name of the railroad station in Pennyslvanla nearest his 
place of residence, and his rank in the company and regiment of said organization In 
which he served: Provid'ed, That any person falsely representing himself to be a member 
of said organization, and entitled to transportation under this act, shall be guilty of a 




George W. Auuli"!!- 
baugii, of York. Penn- 
sylvania, 200th Jtegi- 
ment, Treasurer of the 
Battlefield Commission 
and presiding- officer at 
the unveiling at Port 
Stedmnn. 




Captain James H. 
Frederick, of Lock 
Haven, Pennsylvania, 
207th Regiment, mem- 
ber of the Battlefield 
Commission. 




Milton A. Embick, of 
Cairlisle, Pennsylva- 
nia, 209th Reginient, 
Seci-^tary of the Bat- 
tlefield Commission. 




IM a j o r Isaac B . 
Brown, of Corry, 
Pennsylvania, 21l"th 
Regiment, President 
of the Third Division 
and President of Bat- 
tlefield Commission. 




Reverend Ilcnrv Whit- 
aker, of Mt. Carmel, 
Pennsylvania, 20.">th 
Regiment, member of 
Battlefield C o m m i s- 
sion. 




W. S. Ses.bold. of 
Annville, of Pennsyl- 
\'ania, 208 th Regi- 
ment, member of the 
Battlefield C o m m i s- 
sion. 



Army of the Potomac. 63 

misdemeanor, and. upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than one hundred 
dollars and imprisoned not more than six months, or both or either, at the discretion of 
the court before whom conviction is had. 

Section 5. That for the purpose of the erection of this monument, the expense of the 
Commission, the expense of the dedication, and the transportation from Peuns.vlvania to 
Petersburg and return, of the survivors of the organization herein mentioned, the follow- 
ing sums are hereby appropriated, out of any moneys in the treasury not otherwise ap- 
propriated: For the monument and its site, fifteen thousand dollars. For the expense of 
the Commission, the dedication of the monument, and the transportation of the survivors 
to Petersburg and return, the sum of six thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may 
be necessary: Provided, That the members of this Commission shall serve without any 
compensation whatever, but any necessary expenses incurred in the discharge of the 
duties as herein provided shall be paid out of the appropriation for that puropse: Provided 
further. That the Governor shall issue to each veteran member of this Commission a 
certificate of his appointment, properly engrossed, bearing the seal of the Common- 
wealth, and the signature of the Governor, and attested by the Secretary of the Common- 
wealth. 

Approved— The 13th day of June, A. D. 1907. 

EDWIN S. STUART. 

Under the terms of this law a commission consisting of the Governor 
and a representative from each regiment was provided for, to be selected 
in a similar manner to that provided for the selection of the commission 
that erected the equestrian statue of Hartranft. 

Gov. Edwin S. Stuart, then chief executive of the Commonwealth, was 
a member of the Commission, but in the multiplicity of duties devolving 
upon him as governor, he was never able to meet with the commission, 
and consequently the duties devolved almost entirely upon the other 
members, the membership of which was composed almost entirely of those 
who had served on the Hartranft statue commission. They were as 
follows: Geo. W. Aughenbaugh, of the 200th Regiment, Henry Elway, 
of the 205th Regiment, J. W. Fredericks, of the 207th Regiment, W. S. 
Seabold, of the 20Sth Regiment, M. A. Embick, of the 209th Regiment, 
and Isaac B. Brown, of the 2llth Regiment. Soon after the commission 
organized, Henry Elway, of the 205th Regiment, resigned, and the pres- 
ident of the regimental organization appointed Rev. Henry Whittaker as 
a member of the commission to fill the vacancy. The Commission was or- 
ganized by the election of Isaac B. Brown as president, and M. A. Em- 
bick, as secretary. Several meetings were held with regard to the design 
of the proposed monument. Proposals were solicited, and the proposi- 
tions received were all considered at fully attended meetings of the Com- 
mission, and a contract was finally entered into with Jones Bros., of 
Boston, as contractors, and with Mr. F. W. Ruckstuhl, as sculptor. 
The contract so entered into was filed in the office of the Auditor General 
of Pennsylvana, and by him approved. 

The design of the monument as shown by the cut published herewith, 
is an obelisk sixty feet in height, constructed of Barre granite, somewhat 
after the style of the obelisk standing on Bunker Hill, Mass., erected in 
memory of those who fought there on June 17th, 1775, under General 
Warren. At the base of the obelisk the contract provided for a bronze 
statue of the typical young soldier, representing as it does so great a 
number of the men who made up the Third Division. The sculptor of this 



64 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

bronze soldier cleaned his idea largely from an incident that occurred at 
the time of the assault on Fort Mahone. In that assault the 207th Regi- 
ment was the leading- Regiment in the assaulting column. Its color 
bearer was pierced by seven bullets as the head of the column reached the 
Confederate fortifications, and the flag was immediately taken from his 
hands by one of the color guards and carried through the rest of the battle. 
An examination of the cut of the monument will convey the idea that the 
color bearer has fallen ; a corporal of the color guard has thrown his own 
gun to his left hand, has grasped the fallen flag, and holds it up in de- 
fiance to the enemy. Briefly this is a description of the monument and 
the bronze figure of the young volunteer soldier boy. 

As on all other similar occasions there was some dissatisfaction mani- 
fested among the competitors for this monument. Human nature is so 
weak generally, that it is difiicult to make everj^ one feel satisfied that 
the best course has been pursued. The members of the Commission, how- 
ever, are a unit in their belief that they made the best selection from the 
models presented, and that the monument and the bronze statue fully 
measure up to the highest standards of art and sculpture, and fittingly 
represent the young soldier, and the valor that was exhibited on the field 
where the monument is erected. 



SELECTION OF A SITE. 

UNDER the terms of the act providing for this monument, the 
Commission was given discretionary powers as to the location of 
the monument, either at or near Fort Stedman, or at any loca- 
tion on the battlefield of Petersburg, where the division was engaged. At 
first the sentiment seemed to be in favor of Fort Stedman as a site for its 
location. But on going over the Fort Stedman battlefield, it was found 
that it had largely grown up to young timber ; was somewhat out of the 
way, and that a monument erected there would be to no small extent 
hidden from public view, and therefore the lesson of patriotism which 
it was thought would be taught by this monument would in a measure 
lose its force, and that it would not accomplish results desired as much 
at Fort Stedman as it would if erected on what is generally designated as 
the battlefield of Petersburg. 

Some feeling was manifested by the survivors of the 200th Regiment 
against locating the monument at any place except Fort Stedman, and 
they were justified in this from their standpoint, for the reason that at 
Fort Stedman this regiment had displayed a courage and bravery of the 
highest character. Mr. Aughenbaugh, the member of the Commission 
representing that regiment, explained to his comrades that this was a 
division, not a regimental monument, and that it would be much better to 
erect it upon the ground over which the assault was made upon the morn- 
ing of April 2nd, 1865. If so located, it would be close to the Jerusalem 



Army of the Potomac. 65 

Plank Road, a very notable highway during the Civil War, and a much 
traveled thoroughfare where thousands of people would see the mounment, 
instead of the few who would see it at Stedman. When the matter was 
fully explained to the survivors of the 200th Regiment, they acquiesced in 
the location which the Commission had agreed upon, and the monument 
was located on the site of Fort Mahone on the enemies' fortifications and 
directly opposite Fort Sedgwick, known during the Civil War as Fort 
"Hell." (Fort Mahone being known as Fort "Damnation.") To determine 
the exact location of Fort Mahone required some study, as this formidable 
earthwork and the adjacent fortifications had been leveled to the earth for 
more than twenty years ; yet the fortifications along the Union lines oppo- 
site and including Fort Sedg:wick had never been disturbed. Old maps 
of war time days showing the location of the different forts were examined 
and correspondence was had with both Union and Confederate ofiicers to 
determine the exact location of Fort Mahone. One of the members of 
the Commission, however, was within the fortifications of Fort Mahone 
seventeen years after the close of the war, and remembered distinctly its 
location ; therefore his statements had some influence with the members 
of the Commission in satisfying themselves as to the accuracy of the loca- 
tion. Fort Mahone was so named on account of the distinguished services 
of William Mahone, who lived in Petersburg, after the war, and who 
rendered brilliant service to the Confederate lause at the siege of Peters- 
burg. Many of the members of his old command were living in Peters- 
burg, and belonged to A. P. Hill Camp Confederate Veterans of Peters- 
burg. A committee of these Confederate Veterans had visited the battle- 
field soon after Fort Mahone was leveled to the earth, and had placed a 
marker on the site of this well known fort. The Commission was there- 
fore entirely satisfied that it had secured the correct location, and nego- 
tiated with the owners of the land for the purchase of 50 feet square 
upon which to errect the monument. A deed was procured, and a 
title to the land certifying that it was clear of all encumbrance, which 
was placed on record in Prince George Court House, Va., and the deed 
filed in the office of the Auditor General of Pennsylvania. 

It is proper to say here that some controversy has existed ever since the 
war as to whether Fort Mahone was captured from the enemy on that 
memorable 2nd of April, 1865. The oflScial records of the war, and the 
recollections of the surviving soldiers, indicate that the assaulting column 
under the command of General Hartranft, was formed in front of Fort 
Sedgwick, just at a point where the Jerusalem Plank Road passed through 
a section of this most formidable fortification. The first column moved 
to the westward, and struck the earthworks to the left of where the Je- 
rusalem Plank Road passed through the enemies' fortifications. Having 
secured lodgment there, and diiven the enemy away, or taken them pris- 
oners, they moved to the left along the Confederate fortification until they 
came by flank movement upon the almost impregnable alignments of Fort 



66 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

Mahone. Here a most stubborn resistance was made, but the soldiers 
of Hartranft's Division scaled the northern embattlements of the fort, and 
during the entire day fought with the enemy, until three or four o'clock 
in the afternoon, the assault having been made just at break of day. The 
writer of this article is of the opinion that the fort was captured only in 
part, and that some of its traverses were held by the enemy, until late 
at night on the 2nd of April. However, it is a certainty that Hartranft's 
men captured in whole or in part the renowned Fort Mahone, and there- 
fore there is not the slightest doubt but that the location of the monu- 
ment on the site of Fort Mahone is entirely justified. The recollections 
of the commandng officers from General Parke down to the commanders of 
regiments, also justified this action, and while occasionally other troops 
may question the accuracy of the location, it is believed that no well 
authenticated records can be found, or that the evidence of any soldiers 
who had opportunity to know, can in any way refute the position taken 
by the survivors of the Third Division, or by the Commission that erected 
the monument. 

The monument having been erected on the site of Fort Mahone, the 
Battlefield Commission commenced preparation for the unveiling of the 
monument, and the assembling of the survivors of the division to be 
present on the occasion of the unveiling. The addresses of the survivors 
were ascertained as far as possible, and it was found that there was not 
a sufiicient amount of money appropriated to enable the Commission to 
defray the expense of transportation from the homes of the survivors to 
Petersburg and return. This condition was in part due to the fact that 
it was impossible to make arrangements with the railroad companies to 
carry the veterans at a rate of one cent per mile, a figure that had ob- 
tained in several other cases where the veterans were taken to southern bat- 
tlefields to be present at the unveiling of other monuments. It was de- 
cided therefore, to ask the Legislature at the session of 1909 for an addi- 
tional appropriation, and a bill was prepai^ed and introduced, and while 
there was some delay in securing the passage of the bill and its approval by 
the Governor, the measure finally became a law, and is found in Pam- 
phlet Laws of 1909, page 133. 

The people of Petersburg were anxious that the occasion of the unveil- 
ing should be a memorable one, and they, together with the Governor of 
Virginia, united with the Commission in extending an invitation to the 
President of the United States to be present at the unveiling. 

A resolution was also passed by the Legislature of Pennsylvania, which 
is found in Pampfilet Laws of 1909, page 92?, of which the following is 
a copy: 

No. 10. 

In the Senate, March 9, 1909. 

To invite the Prelsdent of the United States and his Cabinet to be present at the 
unveiling of the monument erected on the Battlefield of Petersburg, to the Third Division, 
Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac. 

Whereas, By enactment of the General Assembly for the year one thousand nine 
hundred and seven, provision was made for the appointment, by the Governor of the 



Army of the Potomac. 67 

Commonwealth, of the Battlefield Commission, of the Third Division, Ninth Corps, Army 
of the Potomac, charged with the duty of erecting a monument on the Battlefield of 
Petersburg, Virginia, to commemorate the services and the sacrifices of the Pennsylvania 
soldiers who composed said division of troops, which Commission was also charged with 
the responsibility of transporting the surviving veterans to Petersburg and return, as 
well as to have supervision of the ceremonies incident to the unveiling of said monument, 
and 

Whereas, The mayor of the city of Petersburg, and the Goveronr of the Commonw'ealth 
of Virginia have by correspondence with said Battlefield Commission, expressed a desire 
to unite with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in extending an invitation to the 
President of the United States and his Cabinet to be present at the unveiling of said 
monument; therefore, be it 

Resolved (if the House concur) , That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania respectfully invite the Honorable W. H. Taft. President of the United 
States, and his Cabinet, to be present at Petersburg, Virginia, on the occasion of the 
unveiling of the monument erected on the Battlefield of Petersburg, Virginia, com- 
memorating the services and sacrifices of the soldiers of Pennsylvania who constituted 
said Division, and that a committee, composed of two Senators named by the President 
pro tempore of the Senate, and three members of the House of Representatives named 
by the Speaker, be appointed to act jointly with the Battlefield Commission of the 
Third Division, the mayor and the municipal authorities of the city of Petersburg, and 
the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in extending such invitation to the 
President and his Cabinet. 

Approved — The 31st day of March, A. D. 1909. 

EDWIN S. STUART. 

It was agreed that a committe consisting of the Mayor and Councils of 
Petersburg, together with the State authorities of A^'irginia, and those 
of Pennsylvania, should meet in Washington, and formally extend an 
invitatfon to the President. Accordingly a joint committee met in Wash- 
ington, at the Arlington Hotel, organized and selected Major Isaac B. 
Brown to address the President at the time of holding the interview with 
him. This occurred soon after the Hon. William H. Taft was inaugur- 
ated President, and also at a time when he was receiving many invita- 
tions to visit different portions of the country. Hon. M. E. Olmsted, 
member of Congress from Pennsylvania, introduced the members of the 
joint committee to the President, to whom through the party selected to 
address the President, the invitation was extended. 

The committee had suggested the 19th of May, 1909, as the time for 
the unveiling, but were ready to make a change of date if such change 
would better suit the convenience of the President. 

The response of the President was most gratifying. Among other 
things he said that he had been President only a short time, but that he 
had been President long enough to establish the fact that he could not 
accept all the invitations which would be extended to him ; but he had 
not been President long enough to refuse an invitation which came from 
the States of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and he therefore accepted the 
invitation . 

The Battlefield Commission, delighted with the result of their effort to 
secure the attendance of the President, commenced the work of arrang- 
ing with the railroad companies for transportation . The regiments were 



68 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

finally assembled at Harrisburg and York, where on the evening of May 
18th, 1909, they embarked on three special trains for Petei^burg, where 
they were to be again on the field of battle which but few of them had 
seen since the war. 

Under the arrangements made by the Commission, a hotel was estab- 
lished as a rendezvous for each regiment, and then the survivors of each 
organization selected ofiicers to command them during the trip, and marched 
to the station in perfect oixler, all delighted that they were to have an 
opportunity, to visit the old battle fields, and to see unveiled a monu- 
ment erected to commemorate their services. 

An enjoyable feature of the return to Petersburg, was the fact that the 
veterans were conveyed in Pullman sleeping cars, while when they went 
to the front during the Civil War, they were conveyed in any kind of old 
gondola or box cars. It was a frequent remark as they boarded the trains 
that they were moving with much more comfort than when they went as 
soldiers to engage in the strife that imperiled the existence of the nation. 



A MARKER AT FORT STEDMAN. 

BEFORE giving an account of the unveiling ceremonies of the monu- 
ment at Fort Mahone, some reference should be made of the 
marker that the commission had placed within the fortifications 
of Fort Stedman. 

Among those who were disappointed in the decision to locate the monu- 
ment at Fort Mahone was one of the contracting parties, Jones Biifothers 
Company. This company was composed of the sons of Lieutenant Jones, 
of the 209th Regiment, who was killed in the battle of Fort Stedman. 
When, therefore, the commission decided on Fort Mahone as the location 
of the monument, these loyal, devoted and patriotic sons of Lieutenant 
Jones, practically agreed to erect a magnificent marker at Fort Stedman 
at their own expense, and this agreement was made a part of the contract. 

The commission secured the right to erect this marker and placed on 
record the lease so that the right would be perpetual. 

This marker is of formidable dimensions, weighing many tons, and is 
erected near the center of the embattlements of Fort Stedman. 

Decades and centuries will pass and this granite marker will scarcely 
be affected by the march of ages, so that generation aftei-> generation will 
be told of the fight at Stedman which was witnessed by the immortal 
Abraham Lincoln. 

On the face of this marker, which fronts to the eastward, is a superb 
bronze tablet of large size, and on this tablet is briefly told the story of 
the Third Division at Fort Stedman. 

At the top of the tablet is the ever beautiful Ninth Army Corps Badge, 
with its "cross-cannon and anchor," telling of the exploits of that wonder- 
ful corps in the service of the country on both land and sea. 













Monument at Fort Stedman. 



Armi/ of the Potomac. 6l ^^ 

Then follows the inscription. He who is called upon to prepare an .^Q^ate 

inscription for a bronze tablet or monument, must proceed along truth- ^ ^ 

ful and conservative lines especially when he is to describe in the fewest 
words possible the conduct of a body of soldiers in a battle where other 
troops are engaged. The inscription in order to stand the test of time, 
must be so supported by facts as to be invulnerable from every point of 

view. 

Such we believe is the character of the inscription on the Fort Stedman 

Marker. 

\\Tiole ages may pass into oblivion and nations may rise and fall but the 
truth of the inscription on the Third Division Marker at Stedman, will 
never fade. Here it is: 

FORT STEDMAN. 

IN THE LAST GRAND OFFENSIVE MOVEMENT OF LEE'S ARMY OF NORTHERN 
VIRGINIA FORT STEDMAN WITH ADJACENT WORKS WAS CAPTURED AT 4.30 
A. M." MARCH 25TH. 1865. BY A WELL SELECTED BODY OF CONFEDERATES 
UNDER THE rOMMAND OF GENERAL JOHN B. GORDON. „„^^^„ 

AN ADVANCE WAS MADE WITH GREAT DETERMINATION OVER THE BROKEN 
UNION LINES THEN THROUGH THE RAVINE AND UP THE RISING GROUNDS 
TO THE E\STW\RD FOR THE PURPOSE OF CUTTING THE U. S. MILITARY R. 
R AND THUS MAKE SUCCESSFUL THE CONFEDERATE PLAN OF SEVERING THE 
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC AND DESTROYING ITS BASE OF SUPPLIES AT CITY 
POINT. 

THIS MOVEMEN-T WAS CHECKED AND THE DIRECT ASSAULT IN THE RECAP- 
TURE OF THESE EMBATTLEMENTS. WAS MADE BY THE THIRD DIVISION, 
NINTH CORPS. ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, IN WHOSE MEMORY THIS TABLET 
IS ERECTED BY THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA." 

The Battlefield Commission is profoundly thankful to the Jones Broth- 
eiB, for their liberality, through which it was possible to place an en- 
during marker at Fort Stedman. 



MONEYS APPROPRIATED. 

THE MONEYS appropriaed by the Legislature, and placed in the 
hands of the Battlefield Commissioin have been carefuUr expended 
or accounted for. Economy has chara'Cterized expenditures and 
it is devoutly believed the very best results have been secured. The 
monument at Fort Mahone is generally rated as a $50,000 monument, 
while it cost the State of Pennsylvania, less than one third that amount. 

Of other moneys appropriated to the commission, there was turned back 
into the State Treasury, the sum of three thousand dollars. 

This was a surprise to the State Treasurer, who in acknowledging the 
receipt of this amount, said it was an unusual thing to turn back into the 
treasury any moneys that had been drawn out on requisition. 

There is still an unexpended balance in the hands of the commission 
which will be accounted for when other work, authorized by law has 
been finished . 

The lycgislature at its session of 1911 passed an act appropriating five 



/ 



70 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

hundred dollars for the publication of a history of the division including 
the exercises incident to the dedication of the monuments to the division 
May 19th, 1909. It also appropriated a like amount for the editing, com- 
piling, proof reading and indexing the publication and at the same time 
made available the surplus in the hands of the commission to secure the 
publication. 



DEDICATION OF THE MONUMENTS TO THE THIRD DIVISION 

9TH ARMY CORPS AT FORTS MAHONE AND STEDMAN, 

PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA, MAY 19, 1909. 



BY HON. MILTON A. EMBICK, 209TH. 



THE DEDICATION of the two monuments to the Third Division 
of the Ninth Corps Army of the Potomac, the one on Fort 
Mahone, of granite, sixty feet high, and the other at Fort Sted- 
man, less pretentious but setting forth on its bronze tablet a great his- 
torical fact, was a fitting culmination of the history of a Division whose 
members first fell in line and kept step to the beat of the drum nearly 
a half century before this final act in their history. 

It is recorded that President Lincoln on a visit to the Army of the 
Potomac stood on the brow of a hill and saw the surging columns of the 
Division, as they charged over the plains against the corps of General 
Gordon , winning a signal victory ; so it was fitting that another President 
William H. Taft, in another and later century should be present at the 
dedication of these monuments and by his presence honor the Division as 
the Division has honored its country and sustained its country's flag. 

The military history of the Division is from the pen of Major A. C. 
Huidekoper, a member of that gallant regiment, the 211th, that for five 
miles charged in double time from their camp to the battlefield of Sted- 
man. Everything contained in Major Huidekoper's article has been sub- 
jected to the merciless tests of the historical and military critics of the 
annals pertaining to that heroic age. "Nothing has been extenuated nor 
aught set down in malice," and the surviving members of the Division 
and their descendants can read with renewed interest the garnerings of 
their deeds and the deeds of their fathers. 

The history of the Survivor's Association of the Third Division is from 
the pen of one to whom the Divison owes a debt of deepest gratitude. 
To Major Isaac B. Brown, President of the Division Association for 
twenty years the Division is largely indebted for the different acts of the 
Legislature in appropriating the money and thus providing the means to 
not only do honor to the starred General Hartranft with an equestrian 



Army of the Potomac. 71 

statue at Harrisburg, but to raise monuments as well to commemorate 
the deeds of every other officer and soldier who drew a sword or carried a 
gun, and marched and fought under the flag of the Third Division. 

Having placed upon record the Division in war and having placed upon 
record the Division in peace as we gathered for our fraternal reunions, 
nothing remains but to make record of the dedication of the monuments 
to the honor of the Division, May 19th, 1909, within sight of the spires 
of Petersburg, whose siege of ten months had cost a Union loss of 47,000 
men. 

The dedication of these monuments on these historic fields has been 
justly recorded as the most dramatically historic event which has oc- 
curred south of the Potomac since the surrender of Appomattox. 

At a meeting of the Battlefield Commission held in Petersburg, Vir- 
ginia, on January 6, 1909, the Commission unanimously selected Major 
Isaac B. Brown, against his insistent protest to be the orator at the un- 
veiling of the monument at Fort Mahone and Major A. C. Huidekoper as 
Chief Marshal of the Divison and parade. 

Major Huidekope]% who was not present at the meeting was requested 
by the Commission to meet with it thereafter, and his invaluable services 
rendered to the Commission and the Division merit all praise. Major 
Huidekoper appointed the following staff with orders to report to him on 
the date set for the dedication: . - 



STAFF. 

Office of A. C. Huidekoper. 

Meadville, Pa., April 12. 1909. 
To the Battlefleld Commission, 

3id Division 9th Army Corps. 
Major Isaac B. Brown. President, 
Milton A. Embick, Secretary, — 

I have the honor to announce the appointments for my staff as follows: 
Captain Stanley D. Embick, Washington, D. C. , Chief of Staff 

Ala' de camps: 
200th 

John Toomy. Strinestown, Pa. 
Lieut. Lewis Felstel. York New Salem. Pa. 
Lieut. Fred. A. Hershey, Dlllsburg, Pa. 
Lieut. W. H. Smyser, 2406 N. Broad St., Phila., Pa. 

Peter Gruber, Jr.. Baehmanville, Dauphin Co., Pa. 
205th 

Joseph M. Owens, Lewlstown, Pa. 
Capt. F. B. McClenahen, Milroy, Pa. 
Capt. Thomas B. Read, R. F. D. No. 6, Lancaster, Pa. 
Rev. Henry Whitaker, Mount Carmel, Pa. 
207th 
Capt. M. G. Hale, Shippensburg, Pa. 

Jacob Linck, Williamsport, Pa. 
Lieut. John H. Miles, Milton, Pa. 
Capt. Elmer Backer, Elmira, N. Y. 
Capt. J. W. Fredericks, Lock Haven, Pa. 
208th 

Wm. F, Kyle, Huntingdon, Pa. 

W. S. Seabold, Annville. 



72 



Third Division, Ninth Corps, 



Lieut. Miles C. Hiiyette, Buffalo, N Y 
Capt. Jacob P. Hoffman, Herndo'n, Pa ' 
Capt. William R. Dunn, Elliottsbu'rg Pa 
209tU ' 

F. H. Barker. Eb^nsburg. Pa. 

John A. Morrison, York, Pa 
Hon. John O. Sheatz, Harrisburg,' Pa 

Jeremiah Hollinger, Greencastle ' Pa 
Capt. W. 0. Moore, Harrisburg, Pa. 

Wm. C. Black, Mercer Pa 
Lieut. Henry Howard, North Clarendon Pa 
Hon. David B. Graham, Denver, Colo 
Capt. William Walter, Hillside, Pa. 

Volunteer Aid de Camna 
Rasselas Wilcox Bvown ^^ 

Albert R. Huidekoper 
Earle C. Huidekoper 
J. Bayard Embick. 
They will be obey-d and respected accordingly. 

Respectfully. 

A. 0. HUIDEKOPER, 
STANLEY D. EMBICK, D. S A Marshall. 

Chief of Staff. ' '' 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON CEREMOxNIES. 

The following order will be observed at the unveilin^'af Ft' ''^'; '. ''''"' ''' ''"'■ 
subject to Change by the Battlefield Commission^ rr'c;i;f\fa'slfaro7t°he^pLar°"" 

MILTON A. EMBICK 
(Signed) JAMES W. FREDERICK, 

HENRY WHITAKER 
^^ March to Port Steadman from Norfolk and Western Rail^t^ M^ Sr^^at 

l^^^Zr^Tn^^TT^:: '-'''''' ^- --'■enbaugh. 
^J^nveiling tablet by Miss Mabel Elizabeth Jones, of Boston. Mass.. assisted by Dr. 
Oration by Milton A. Embick. 

Benediction by Rev. William A. Houck, Chaplain of the 205th 
Un^.. Tenting on the Old Camp Ground, b^ Cadet^BaM o'f Petersburg. 

Matn:'lh:L^^:fre = metTchref M^' fT""'' '^'^^'"^^^'' «* ^ ^ P«-t to Port 
Governors of Virgin?: Zl PenL' van r'i h'ttir'^st "/"^'f "' "' ''' '"''''' '''^''^' 
A. P. Hill Camp, Petersburg Grevs Lnn. '^'""I ^'^^^ '''"^ 'escorts. «lso of General 
and Fortress Mon oe MilUarv Band I'nd Ue P "! . n f' ^'"""^ '' ^"'•*^-^- ^^^°"-«. 
Mahone under orders of Ch ef aL shaT.nd S^ ff T.T "' ':^'"^''"'-^- ^f«->'«l ^o Fort 
turn over the third division to P esUent T^fi a'ndn /■ V'"^ I'''"" """*'' '''''''''' "'''' 

r:r l^iri^'\^j7T'}r- - - -- -ch. -ersburg. 

?=: ^Sef~:3r- --^^ trrnSii.rrii^^cj^G: 

Music by Fortress Monroe Military Band 

IntVoducing 'anTtuS Ir"" d7v"' ■ ^"f" '^"^ ""''■ '^"'^ ^^"'<^«^'-^ Commission. 
Marshn, Mafor A c! H^.ldekoper °" '" "^""''"^ ""'''''"^ ^°--<^ ^aft by Chief 

Address by President William Howard Taft 
Music, Cadet Band. ' , 



Army of the Potomac. 73 

Turning over tbe monument to Governor Claude Swanson of Virginia by Governor 
Edwin S. Stuart of Pennsylvania. 

Jlusic by Fortress Monroe Military Band. 

Governor Swanson's address of acceptance. 

Benediction by Rev. Plannett, Chaplain of tiie 211th. 

TAPS by bugler from military band, repeated three times from Fort Mahoue and 
echoed by cadet band from Fort Sedgwick. 

Formation for Civic Parade. 

The date of May 19, 1909, having been selected by the Commission 
for the dedication of their monuments and orders for transportation having 
been sent several weeks in advance, the members of the Third Division 
gathered at Harrisburg and there entrained for Petersburg on the after- 
noon and evening of May eighteenth. The survivors pi'esent included not 
only those from Pennsylvania, but those from far western States. They 
reached Petersburg in the -arly morning of the nineteenth, where a break- 
fast awaited them which had been prepared by orders from the chief mar- 
shal. 

The Division was then formed and marched through the densely crowded 
streets of Petersburg under the following orders: 

The Third Division is greatly indebted to the Norfolk and Western R. 
R., for the excellent train service and other courtesies extended at the 
time of the dedication. 

To the Commanding Officer of the Regiment, Harrisburg Pa 

The general Instruction for the management of th4 men under yonr command at 
Petersburg, Va.. on May 10th will be (sub.iect to further order.s) as follows- 

On arrival at Petersburg the men will secure their breakfasts as promptlv as 
possible. You will as-semble them by companies at the Norfolk & Western station not 
later than 8.00 A. M. The column will enter the cars In the followlne order- 

FIRST: The Band. 

SECOXD. The Petersburg Gra.vs. 

THIRD: A. P. Hill Camp C. V. 
o„r?^!?'^°' '^^'^ '■^'S'ments comprising the 3rd Division, arranged as follows- fist) 
"S^^l^^'^^l^r^- ^■^-> -- -»-. <-^) --^ Hegt.. (5th) ^ 

When the men disembark at Fort Stedman. they will keep their company organizations 

the coTl.'Vn Tl/' *""", ''■'''" ^''""^^'^ '^' ^"-^"^ to — -'table grounds 
the column will halt, open tlieir ranks, face inward, and salute the President and 
Governors as they pass through the open ranks. After ihe President's partvhTsc eared 
the column, it will close rank and march in column of twos to Fort Steadn an ifter the 
"fTrsT TheTand.'" "'"' '" *'' ''''' '""^ '°*" ^"^^"^ '"^ *^^ followingord;': 

SECOND: The Petersburg Grays 

THIRD: A. P. Hill Camp C. V 

ujzr 'p- --:-"' ".--.."".To I'srrj rr. T:!cs;iz 



74 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

The regiments comprising the 3rd Division, arranged as follows: (1st) 207th Regt., 
(2nd) 205tU Regt., (3rd) 211th Regt., (4th) 208th Regt., (5th) 209th Regt., and 
(6th) 200th Regt. 
A. P. Hin Camp C. V. 
Petersburg Grays. 

And the Band on the side of the column. 

After the unveiling ceremonies, the men will be marched to near Fort Sedgwick, 
where they can purchase sandwiches and coffee, and will break ranks, and look over 
the fighting ground until 4.00 P. M. , when they will be assembled, march to cars, and 
return to Petersburg where they will be disbanded. 

A. C. HUIDEKOPER, 

Chief Marshall. 
STANLEY D. EMBICK, Capt. , U. S. A., 
Chief of Staff. 

Escorted by General A. P. Hill Camp, Confederate Veterans and the 
Sons of Veterans of the Camp, by hundreds of gray clad veterans from all 
over the State of Virginia and many from North Carolina, the cadet 
band of Petersburg, and other bands and drum corps, the members of 
the Division marched to the depot of the Norfolk and Western Railroad, 
where they took the trains awaiting them and disembarked near what was 
once the Confederate line and marched to Fort Stedman, for the dedica- 
tion there. Comrade George W. Aughenbaugh of the 200th, who had 
been chosen to preside, called the assembly to order and introduced Rev. 
J. B. Shontz, of the 205th, who delivered the following invocation: 

"O Lord, God, Thou in whose hands are the issues of life and death, 
we are gathered here under a deep sense of Thy goodness, greatness, wis- 
dom and mercy. We stand before Thee with uncovered heads, on the 
spot made memorable by the great deeds of those who here fought for the 
perpetuity of this great nation. Here, amidst shot and shell, our com- 
rades faced death, and we now are about to unveil a monument to their 
memory. This monument may crumble and decay, but their deeds will 
never die or be forgotten. 

"O God, grant that the lives of the old veterans may be spared for 
many years, that they may show to the world the love of country and 
valor that called them forth from their homes to the defense of the best 
nation that ever the sun shone upon. 

"Regard, we beseech Thee, those who were wounded and are bearing 
heavy burdens in the struggles of life; bless them with their families, and 
cause them to rejoice in Thee. 

"And now, dear Ix)rd, bless the remaining soldiers of the North and the 
South, and, as we here mingle in fraternal union, may all past feelings 
of sectional strife be entirely forgotten and blotted out. Bind us all to- 
gether in the bonds of true fellowship, that we may henceforth stand for 
the defense and glory of one nation, one flag and one God. 

"For the sake of Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen." 

After music by the cadet band of Petersburg, the monument was un- 
veiled by Miss Mabel Jones of Boston, whose grandfather, Lt. Hugh 
Jones, was the first officer to fall mortally wounded at the recapture 




Miss 



]\rabel Elizalietli Jones, of P'ustoii, Massachusetts, who unveiled 
the nioiniiiient at Fort Steduian, Mav 19, llXjlJ. 




Milton A. Embick, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, who delivered 
the oration at Fort Stedman, May 19, 1909. 



Army of the Potomac. 75 

of Fort Stedman. She was escorted to the platform by Dr. Olin Barker, 
of Johnstown. The presiding oflScer then introduced Milton A. Embick, 
who delivered the following onation: 

Mr. Pi-esident, Ladies and Gentlemen and Comrades of both Armies: 

The bronze tablet which has just been so fittingly unveiled by the grand- 
daughter of that gallant ofiicer, Lieutenant Hugh Jones, who was the first 
officer to fall in the recapture of |jhese works bears this inscription, and 
was written by Isaac B. Brown a private of Co. F, 211th Regiment, and is 
as follows: "In the last grand offensive movement of Lee's Army of 
Northern Virginia, Fort Stedman with adjacent works was captured at 
4:30 A. M., March 25th, 1S65, by a well selected body of Confederates 
under the command of General Jno. B. Gordon. An advance was made 
with great determination over the broken Union lines, then through the 
ravine and up the rising grounds to the eastward, for the purpose of cutting 
the United States military railroad, and thus making successful the Con- 
federate plan of severing the Army of the Potomac and destroying its base 
of supplies at City Point. This movement was checked and the direct 
assault in the recapture of these embattlements was made by the Third 
Division, 9th Corps, Army of the Potomac, in whose memory this tablet 
is erected by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." 

The ceremonies here to-day however, are but an incident of the great 
event of the day, which will take place at noon, south of this spot beyond 
the historic Jerusalem Plank Road. And yet before the Battlefield Com- 
mission visited these grounds, they had unanimously decided that here 
was the spot to place our monument ; and had it not been for the inaccessi- 
bility of this place to the general public, the magnificent monument and 
statue which now stand on the site of Fort Mahone would have stood in 
the center of the fort where as has been said the last great struggle and 
heroic offensive movement was made by the Army of Northern Virginia. 

It is to recall some of the incidents of those days of over 44 years ago 
that I am here to-day. And to those who have come upon the stage of 
action since that date, and have but a faint conception of what war meant 
along these lines in 1864 and '65, let me state, that here two armies faced 
one another for ten long, weary months; their battle lines extending from 
north of Richmond, down across the James River, across the Appomattox, 
on down for miles south, forming a battleline of almost 45 miles. 

In the trenches on the defensive line, stood the Army of Northern Vir- 
ginia, commanded by that peerless leader and magnificent general, Robert 
E. Lee. 

Ready to strike at all times and pitted against them was the Army of 
the Potomac, commanded by that silent but invincible General U. S. 
Grant. 

Never before in the history of the ages ; and never again in the centur- 
ies to come, will two such armies face one another, unless, which God 
forbid, American soldiers face American soldiers. 



76 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

Here, along these lines, where forts almost touched one another and 
every fort bristled with cannon, no man's life was safe for an instant of 
time, and to stand erect for a moment was to court the bullet that sang 
unceasingly the requiem of death, in this deadly zone of fire. 

Not a day, not an hour, scarcely a minute went by that the blood of 
some one did not redden the sands of these plains. In rear of the Union 
lines where graveyards were laid out upon every sunny hillside and in 
every shade of the wood, new tenants were added day by day; while from 
the Confederate lines the starred general and the private in the ranks were 
carried side by side to old historic Blandford Cemetery where, waiting the 
judgment day, sleep thousands of the heroes of the Southland. 

These, with the heroes of the North who fell have, we tiiist, entered 
that White City of eternal peace and far away in that peace reigning land 
have waked to sweeter music than ever bugles played at dawn. 

But, something had to be done to break the tightening hold of Grant 
upon the beleagured City of Petersburg, and General Lee summoned Gen- 
eral Gordon to take that heroic step. 

But faintly recorded is the history of this momentous event, because 
of the rapid occurring events that followed it, day by day to Appomattox. 

But Gordon came with his trained men, the flower of the Army of 
Northern Virginia, and seizing this fort an hour or more before daylight, 
swept the line from its moorings for three fourth of a mile, and then 
pushed' on to cut the Army of the Potomac in two; to sweep down its left 
flank, to destroy its base at City Point; to put the surrender at Appo- 
mattox back to 18G6 instead of 1S65. 

Lying on the second line of battle and peacefully sleeping in their tents 
on that morning of the 25th of March was the Third Division of the 9th 
Army Corps. They had seen hard service in the Army of the James. 
They had been swung down to the left in midwinter to Hatcher's Run, and 
again to aid the 5th Corps during their Weldon raids ; but now in their 
camps they were beyond the reach of shot and shell, although their inces- 
sant roar was constantly in their ears. Smokeless powder and far-reach- 
ing guns were unknown during the Civil War. 

The 200th Regiment was stationed near the Dunn House Battery, less 
than a mile in your rear; the 209th Regiment about the same distance, 
not far from Meade's Station, on the Military Railroad; the 208th near 
the Avery House, (Division Headquarters). These troops constituted the 
first brigade of the Third Division. • 

The 205th, 207th and 211th Regiments formed the second brigade and 
lay between Fcirts Alexander Hays and Howard, the 211th being posted 
near Fort Prescott. 

It was these troops, with only a camp guard, that were quietly sleep- 
ing on the night of March 24th, 1865, and it was these troops that waked 
by the nearer and heavier firing and the sound of the long roll in their 
camps before dawn of that grey March morning, sprang to their arms 




Hon. Seward W. Jones, of Boston, Massachusetts, architeo't and 
builder of the monuments at Forts fe'tedman and Mahone. 




J 



Army of the Potomac. 77 

and formed ranks and regiments while the thud of bullets striking upon 
their tent covers, told them that the battle was on. In the formation of 
those regiments in line of battle by theii' Commander, General John F. 
Hartranft, who went into that battle with the single star of a brigadier and 
emerged from it with the double star of a major-general, the final and mag- 
nificent charge of those regiments, witnessed by the immortal Lincoln 
and General Grant whose guest he had been the night before at City Point 
and who now stood with him on the hill in the rear, watching the surging 
mass below as they leaped like hounds in leash leaving their dead and 
dying to be cared for later on ; the 211th from its far off camp double quick- 
coming five miles, and who now tired and worn at 7:30, yet lifted them- 
selves with cadenced step as they were marched slowly over the hill to be 
sacrificed, if need be so that the others should win the charge. 

Below them in a semi-circle of a mile and a half the five regiment's, 
waiting for the signal which came with the 211th of the reestablishment of 
our lines and our starry banners on the ramparts of these forts. 

All this my Comrades, comes vividly back to us to-day though nearly 
fifty years have joined the centuries of the past since then. 

We meet, my Comrades, with decimated ranks on grounds that seem 
strangely unfamiliar. We meet with feelings most fraternal to those 
whose gallantry in the Civil War brought forth upon our side and in our 
ranks that heroism which is the proud boast of the American soldier. 

For us, my Comrades, whether we wore the Gray or wore the Blue, 
the "Dress Parade" is over. Soon will come the "Evening Gun," and 
then "Tattoo" and then the sweet notes of "Taps" will sound for us all. 

But to-day, my Comrades — 

"While years have swiftly passed away. 

In Times unceasing flight, 
Yet tUe pulse is quickened and the brain 

With recollections teems. 
Of sad and tenderest memories. - 

Like some forgotten dreams. 

Once more we see the busy camps, 

With white tents far and near. 
Long vanished scenes, familiar sounds. 

Again greet eye and ear. 

We hear the squadron's measured tramp, 

We see the bayonet's glare — ■ 
The music of the fife and drum 

Comes floating on the air. 

The sentry's beat, the picket post, 

The skirmishers we see 
The battle line, the thrilling charge — 

Hear cheers of victory. 

But all Is calm and peaceful noTV 
On these historic lines. 

.-Villi s:i(l'y b'invf; rlif isoutliei-n wind. 
Sweet scented with the pines. 



78 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

Chanting a solemn requiem. 

O'er slumbers most profound 
Of those who fell and sweetly sleep 

In consecrated ground." 

After the playing of the Star Spangled Banner the benediction was 
pronounced by Rev. W. A. Houck, Chaplain of the 205th Regiment, and 
also of the Division. 

"O Thou Father of all mercies and God of all truth: We thank 
Thee, we praise Thee that the American people hold in sacred memory 
their countrymen who fought and fell in our Civil War. We thank Thee 
that so many survive the shock of battle, and live to enjoy the inherit- 
ance which was bought and preserved by so many precious lives. May 
they remain many years with their wives and children under Thy 
sheltering wing. May the Union of States, cemented by the blood of 
patriots, hold together on their mission of freedom and righteousness until 
the Master of all good workmen shall put them to work anew, and may 
the blessings of God, which giveth riches of grace in Jesus Christ abide 
with all forever. Amen." 

Orders were read from the Chief Marshal as to the formation of the 
Regiments and as to their march on the parade and grounds at Fort 
Mahone. The Division then entrained and was taken to Fort Melkle where 
it detrained and formed in line. 

Here they were met by the President of the United States and his 
party, the President being personally escorted from this point to Fort 
Mahone by the sheriff and one hundred mounted men from Prince George 
Co. Va., who acted as his escort until the monument was reached, 
the Governors of Pennsylvania and Virginia, and their respective 
staffs, a battalion of Coast Artillery and military band from Fort Mon- 
roe. Orders were given to open column and the carriages of the Presi- 
dent and his party, the Governors and their staffs, the members of the 
Battlefield Commission and the visiting guests passed through. 

Closing columns, the parade moved forward passing close by the lines 
occupied during the year of 1864-'65. Here still stood the great forts 
that once biustled with murderous cannon, but within their ramparts 
great trees now spread their branches toward Heaven, their roots being 
fed by the waters which stood in the moats around the forts. 

Crossing the historic Jerusalem Plank Road the Division, debouched from 
the plain where once to have stood for a moment would have been courting 
instant death, and marched to a point in front of the Presidential plat- 
foi-m, where it was presented by Major A. C. Huidekoper, Chief Marshal, 
to the President and to the presiding officer. Colonel R. H. I. Goddard, 
as follows: 

"Sirs, I have the honor to report that the Third Division of the Ninth 
Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, is in place before you and awaits 
your orders." 




CoJuuel li. H. I. Goddard, of Provideuce, Rhode Island 
t residing Officer at the unveiling of the momiraent ' 
at Fort Mahone, May 19, 1909. 



g -. 

o ;2 









8 = 

CO >c 




Army of the Potomac. 79 

The scene presented was one of singular and deep significance. Here, 
before the President of the United States, his military aide, Major Archibald 
Butt, a little later to be one of the heroes of the Titanic, the French Am- 
bassador, the Governors of Penns3'lvania and Virginia and their staffs, 
with two ex-Governors of the latter Commonwealth, presidents of uni- 
versities and colleges, United States Senators and members of Congress, 
Admiral Sigsbee, and many others, there mingled thousands of the Blue 
and the Gray, — all gathered in fraternal good will to do honor to a Fed- 
eral Division, and to dedicate to its valor a magnificent monument on 
what had been once the site of a Confederate foirt. 

The program announced by the Committee on Ceremonies was then car- 
ried out as follows: 

Col. R. H. I. Goddard, master of ceremonies, received the report of 
Major A. C. Huidekoper that the parade was formed, and immediately 
began his speech: 

"I esteem it an honor far beyond my deserts to be asked to preside at 
this gathering of the Survivors of the old Hartranf^; division of the Ninth 
Army Corps. It is not only an honor. It is a high privilege. My active 
and personal association with this division is the pr{i)ilest memory of 
my life. It began on the 25th of March, 1865, when that gallant com- 
mand stormed and retook Fort Stedman, and thus re-established the lines 
as they existed before General Gordon and his brave men a isaulted and 
captured that position. 

"A week later, on the spot where we now stand, I was agaii with those 
tried Pennsylvania veterans, who after a desperate resistance became 
masters of this fort, and opened the way through Petersburg to Appomat- 
tox. 

"For nearly a fortnight I was in close and direct contact with you. 
It was a brief period, but what events of surpassing moment were crowded 
into that short space of time. 

"It was long enough to command my unbounded admiration for the 
bearing and conduct of this division, and to fill my heart with an undying 
sentiment not only of admiration, but of genuine affection, a sentiment 
which, on so many occasions, has been fostered by your kindness, so 
noticeably shown in my selection to conduct the exercises of this after- 
noon. 

"As I gaze upon the scene before me, how many memories of that event- 
ful fortnight, and of the participants in the glorious deeds then accom- 
plished come surging into my mind. 

"Before I could even mention the names of all the actors conspicuously 
valiant during that fortnight of such momentous consequences to the Re- 
public, yonder sun would set, and the day would be too short to at- 
tempt to rehearse and do justice to their heroic deeds. 

"Among the many, my old friend, and your old friend, as well as com- 



80 ' Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

mander John Frederick Hartranft, looms up before my eyes. Can any 
one who ever knew him forget his splendid personality and the charm 
of his character? 

"He was a noble American, a grand soldier, whose good fortune it was 
to lead men worthy of their commander. I can see again, at this instant, 
those dark luminous eyes as they serenely and confidently surveyed the 
scene of action on that memorable day. 

"And then there was my own chief, Major General John Grubb Parke. 
I loved him as a brother in life, and I shall always tenderly cherish his 
memory . 

"He was a modest and unassuming Christian gentleman, a fearless and 
skillful general, a stainless patriot, loving and lovable — one who possessed 
the deep affection not alone of his staff ofiicers, but of all who served 
with him. 

"Another grand and rugged figure is before my eyes, and in my heart, 
as I recall those days. 

"Witliin an lunir after the battle of Fort Stedman, Abraham Lincoln 

rode to the headquarters of General Parke, clasped both his hands and 
warmly thanked him for what he had accomplished in the early morning 
hours of that day. 

"On April 3d, the day following the assault on the fort, where we are 
now peacefully assembled, as we passed through Petersburg, we again 
saw Abraham Lincoln standing under a magnolia tree watching us file 
by. The shadow of the cruel fate then impending had not yet reached 
him. A smile was on his kindly face, for he ftlt that war would soon 
cease, and peace be restored to a distracted people. 

"Could his prophetic vision have pierced the future and could he have 
seen the salvation which has come to both sides in that Titanic conflict, he 
would gladly have sung the song of Simeon, "Now lettest thou thy servant 
depart in peace." 

"If those radiant and knightly souls could return to earth, the scene be- 
fore us would prove that their labors had not been in vain. 

"They would see men who had fought desperately and heroically against 
them, for a cause they believed right and just — members of an organiza- 
tion bearing the name of that dauntless leader, General Ambrose Powell 
Hill, who died here in the fulfillment of duty and honor, as revealed to 
him — they would behold these men uniting with us, under the old flag, to 
commemorate the deeds of those whom they once faced as foes. 

"This is a spectacle for which we may well thank God. May it serve 
to join still more closely the hearts and hands of the sons of a common 
country. May it serve to make us more God-fearing and more truly pa- 
triotic citizens of that country, for in the virtues of its children, shall our 
nation be established and perpetuated as "a praise in the earth." 

"Then may we hope that our petitions which ascend to heaven will be 
heard and granted. 




Mrs. Harold Arthur Txilbert, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania 

who unveiled the Third Division monument, at 

Fort Mahone, May, 19, 1909. 



Army of the Potomac. 81 

"Let the po\Yers by Thee ordained 

Be in righteousness maintained ; 

In the people's hearts Increase 

Love of piety and peace ; 

Thus united we shall stand 

One wide, free and happy land." 

At the conclusion of Col. Goddard's remarks, he gave the signal for the 
unveiling. The monument was then unveiled by Mrs. Harold Arthur Gil- 
bert, of Williamsport, Pa., daughter of Major Isaac B. Brown, assisted 
by Mrs. Wm. Mahone, of Petersburg, Va. , Mrs. A. C. Huidekopper, of 
Meadville, Pa., Mrs. Wm. McGill, of Petersburg, Va., and Mrs. Clarence 
Guiles Flower, daughter of the Division, of Harrisburg, Pa. 

Music by Fortress Monroe Military Band. Col. Goddard then introduced 
the Rev. R. W. Barnwell, D. D., rector of St. Paul's Church, who de- 
livered the invocation. 



INVOCATION. 



ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, known in former days as the 
God of battles and Lord of Hosts, but now unto us as the God 
of reconciliation and of peace, we praise Thee, we bless Thee, we 
worship Thee, the one true everlasting Father, here on the ancient battle- 
field, here as we stand in the ranks of a reunited brotherhood. And we 
pray Thee that as Thou didst grant in the former days of strife the high 
virtues of courage and endurance, so Thou wilt grant to us in the present 
day of peace, the supreme grace of love and fellowship. 

"We praise Thee, O God, for our great country, which in its every line 
and feature is a sign and pledge of Thy Providence, Thy bounty, Thy 
favor and mercy. We pray Thee make us worthy of it. 

"We thank Thee, O God, that Thy Providence has ordered it that the 
President of this land, though exalted by his responsibilities as the chief 
servant of the people, shall yet have his place of happiness among them, 
even as one of themselves ; and that Thou hast so endowed the present 
holder of the office with large heart, stable mind and gentle disposition, 
that sectionalism and part spirit must flee away and the desires of the 
whoTe people be turned to the blessed work of upholding him as he labors to 
make our common country both prosperous and magnanimous. Bless him 
in his high ideals and stalwart character. 

"We recognize, O Heavenly Ruler, that under thy ordering the great 
States of Pennsylvania and Virginia have been each in its own section the 
most conservative of forces, conscious of strength, lovers of peace, cherish 
the teachings of Franklin and Washington. Yet soldiers of Virginia have 
died on the slopes of Gettysburg, and soldiers of Pennsylvania have crim- 
soned these Virginia fields with their blood. 'Forgive, O Lord, our past 
enmities. Make us for all time both friends and brothers. Let every city 
of our gathering be a City of Brotherly Love. Unite our Governors and 
our people in the bonds of lasting good will. 



82 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

"Bless, O Lord God, who ever lovest steadfast hearts, this old city of 
enduring courage. Thou canst see to-day even as when it happened how all 
pains and terrors of death were as naught before the resolution of duty, 
hallowed by love of hearthstone and altar. Keep alive the soul and spirit 
of that devotion. Transmit to h<»r children the heart-texture that endured 
the fire of the days when Petersburg passed through her furnace of an- 
guish . 

"And as for these soldiers of both armies who once under their bullet-tom 
banners grappled and bled, but now unite around this majestic memorial of 
the brave Pennsylvanians who gave their blood for their cause and Govern- 
ment — for them we raise our beseeching prayers for grace, mercy and bless- 
ing. None that have known or read of the days of bugle call, the trumpet 
sounding for the charge, of regiments in the valley of Death, marching with 
the step of the parade, of ringing cheers out of pools of blood, of smiles as 
the light of life forever fades, can fail to feel, O God, the wonders of the 
soul that Thou hast made — the soul of a soldier aglow with patriotic devo- 
tion. Our common-place hearts know but little of the glory that shone in 
theirs. Thou didst cover the heads of these old men in the day of battle 
that the eyes of their sons might look upon them and learn of them and even 
as we reverence their surpassing courage, we pray for the power to grow 
to their stature. Yea, and even as Thou didst keep them then, we pray that 
Thou wilt comfort them now. Stint not the peace of their declining days. 
Let them not find their sons ungrateful. Let not our Commonwealths forget 
them when in need. Let days bring honors and let nights bring rest. Let 
their dreams be of home and welcome, and of re-united hearts. 

"And, finally, O Christ, Thou Son of God, who goest before our hosts 
in the terrible battle of life, can it not be that Thou wilt give to each and all 
the courage and desire to serve the Heavenly country of which Thou art 
King, as each one sees his duty. We surely know that Thou art right. 
Grant then the deepest prayer in our hearts to-day — that not only in this 
world, but in the world to come we may be united in the glorious brother- 
hood of man." 

"All this we ask in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen." 

The presiding officer then introduced Major Isaac B. Brown, of Corry, 
Pa., president of the Third Division and president of Petersburg Battle- 
field Commission, as the orator of the day. 



MAJOR BROWN'S ADDRESS. 

MAJOR ISAAC B. BROWN, President of the Pennsylvania Battle- 
field Commission, then said: 
"The assemblage of these veterans of the Blue and Gray, with 
this great concourse of people, on these renowned fields, is evidence that 
for this day, at least, we are looking backward. 




Major Isaac B. Brown, of Corry, renusylvania, who delivered 
the oration at Fort Mahone, May 19. 1909. 



Army of the Potomac. 83 

Hear "near Petersburg," a familiar phrase of old war time days, upon the 
the sacred soil of old Virginia, made forever hallowed in the unprecedented 
clash of arms and the shedding of American blood, do two great Common- 
wealths extend fraternal greetings. 

"Virginia and Pennsylvania, rich and eminent in ■colonial history, touch- 
ing elbows in the great struggle and crusade for American independence — 
fighting side by side from Bunker's Hill to Yorktown — potent in molding, 
establishing and directing the new-born Republic — shoulder to shoulder in 
Indian wars, the second war for independence, and the war with Mexico — 
sadly separating in the war between the States' — but now, in the Providence 
of Almighty God, under these heaven-blessed Southern skies, may it be 
said: 

"Their fortunes now in one channel at last, 
Aa the torrents that rush from the mountains of snow 
Roll, mingled in peace through the valleys below." 

"Looking backward, not in bitterness, not in resentment, but in pathos 
and veneration — in tears for the sacrifices of their chivalric sons and in ven- 
eration and pride for their limitless valor. 

"Yes, reverently do we obey the command, to look backward when it is 
given in the name of American blood and American bravery, but in all else 
our thoughts are of the future; our enterprises, our energies, our ambi- 
tions, our fondest hopes, are in the promising future, wherein we look for 
the advancement, the uplifting and the greater instrumentality for good of 
this reunited American republic. 

"On these immortal fields, where Americans met Americans, we behold 
in every direction the evidences of conflict, in these wonderful lines of 
fortifications, still standing so formidable, even though Nature with her 
leveling processes, for nearly half a century, has been silently and sternly 
marching on, and weaving her mantle of forgetfulness. 

"True, there are no longer threatening cannon and bristling bayonets 
along these sometime belligerent lines, and the almost impenetrable abattis 
and Chevaux-de-f rise have disappeared ; while the mighty hosts of fire-tried 
valor — those legions whose banners were bullet-riddled — those armies of 
Blue and Gray — the greatest, the most invincible that ever marshalled under 
the banners of Christian civilization — no longer develop their lines of battle 
or appear in picturesque array; they are scattered — they have melted away, 
never again to assemble at tap of drum or blast of heroic bugle. 

"There is pathos in the sighing of the pines, grown to great dimensions on 
the time-worn fortifications, for eloquently and sweetly do they sound a re- 
quiem for those whose blood crimsoned the soil on which they grew. 

"The feathered tribes flutter through their branches, carol their songs, 
build their nests, and rear their young, as joyfully as though peace had 
here dwelt in these habitations, unmolested for a thousand years. 

"Thus does Nature, sublimely and sweetly, in her rhythm of music and 
in her processes, furnish an example of "peace on earth, good will towards 
men," worthy of our emulation, and in this almost Divine spirit are here 



84 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

met, in their old age, these survivors of the great Confederate and Union 
armies, and in this meeting bless our country and our posterity in commem- 
orating the valor of the American soldier. 

"The artillery of Charleston's harbor may not have echoed around the 
world, as was said of that shot that was fired by the embattled farmers at 
Concord's Bridge, yet its deafening thunders startled Americans everywhere, 
as the reverberations were augmented and accentuated by the more tumul- 
tuous sounds of war, into which they were merged as the stupendous con- 
flict swept on, and on through the more than three years' of war from 
Sumpter to the Siege of Petersburg. 

"Could there be unfolded in a film that would exhibit the scene of conflict 
prior to the "Crossing of the James," exploits of the valor of the American 
soldier would be reproduced that added imperishable honor and brilliancy to 
American arms, and to this, still greater brilliancy was given in the con- 
flict that was so sternly waged on these fields of carnage in the siege of 
Petersburg. 

THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG-. 

"Pen can never portray, songs of poets or eloquence of sages describe the 
campaigns between the Army of the Potomac and Lee's Army of Northern 
Virginia in the struggle for supremacy round the beleagured city of Peters- 
burg. 

"Here was the never ceasing clash of arms, the whirlwind of impetuous 
charges — the seething maelstrom of conflict, the saliences, the vortex of 
contending forces— days pregnant with momentous events, and in the shed- 
ding of blood. 

"It was a fierce, prolonged, unprecedented, most sanguinary siege, in 
which the valor of men was put to its most crucial test — a struggle cover- 
ing ten seemingly endless months — a death grapple — a test for supremacy, 
wherein human lives seemed but atoms of dust, and scarcely considered in 
the plans of campaigns. 

THE ADVENT OF THE THIRD DIVISION. 

"Into such a siege, in the fall of 1864, appeared the banners of six Penn- 
sylvania regiments, whose Survivors are now gathered around this monu- 
ment, erected by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

"The rank and file were composed of young men and boys who were 
ready for any duty that the exigencies of war demanded. 

"Their bright banners were first unfurled under Southern skies, in the 
presence of the Confederates, along Bermuda's beleagured lines, when they 
suffered the death casualties of war on the first day of their arrival at the 
front, and soon thereafter, were engaged in battle with Pickett's Old 
Division of Confederates, made forever famous in its renowned charge on 
Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg. 

"It was a momentous day and one prolific with apprehension, — When these 
Pennsylvaniaus came across the Appomattox, and stacked arms amidst the 



Army of the Potomac. 



85 



scenes of conflict there waging and became the Third Div.s.on of the Mnth 
Corps of the Army of the Potomac, to the command of which, Brigadier 
General John Frederick Hartranft was assigned, whose brilliancy as a 
soldier gave assurance and dispelled doubts and apprehensions. 

"During its term of service in the siege of Petersburg, it was generally 
the reserved division of the corps, and in the fortunes of war. it was sent 
rapidly from place to place as necessity required and thus rendered some 
service in nearly all the territory embraced within the great siege. 

"It went down this Jerusalem Plank Road in the storms of the Weldon 
Raid,-it was in the campaign of Hatcher's Run.-midst its snows and 
penetrating storms. 

"It pierced the darkness of Stedman's carnage, to check, and to 
repulse the last grand offensive movement of Lee's Army of Northern 
Virginia. _ 

"Here it fought in the presence of the immortal Abraham Lincoln. Here 
it met the flower of the Confederate army as it came surging through the 
broken embattiements of Fort Stedman, and like a resistless avalanche, 
passed on to sever the Army of the Potomac in twain. Here, it won fame, 
and its conduct in the grand picturesque array in the final assault for the 
recapture of Stedman, was most highly commended by the great military 
Chieftain. 

THE ASSAULT ON FORT MAHONE. 

"Following the carnage of Stedman, the division was in a few days in bat- 
tle array to lead in the assault on this position, the beginning of the last 
grand offensive movement of the Army of the Potomac. 

"The world may have wondered and applauded the wild heroic charge at 
Cemetery Ridge, the bravery in the struggle at the "Round Tops"-admira- 
tion may be bestowed on those who were in the hopeless struggle at Marye s 
Heights or on the gallantry exhibited at Missionary Ridge, and Lookout 
Mountain; but scarcely in any war, at any time, were troops ever sent 
against such obstructions and such devastating instrumentalities of war as 
existed between Fort Sedgewick, over there under those pines, and Fort 
Mahone, the site of this monument. 

"When the oSicers and men of this division, after standing in line for two 
nights, in that suspense which is so trying to the most fearless —wound 
their way through the labyrinth of fortifications of murderous Fort Hell, 
and in front of which, formed in columns of regiments, the assaulting 
columns —the feeling was universal that "it was but to do and to die." 

"Except for the flash of artillery discharges, the night was as black and 
dreary as Egyptian darkness. 

"In the waiting for the signal to advance, moments seemed days in dura- 
tion. , , • , 1 • u 

"Along this crest, stretched the ponderous fortifications, behind which 
were sheltered and waiting, the ever vigilant and fighting Confederates. 



86 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

"The heavens seemed filled with rising and falling meteors, while the 
thunders of the great engines of war, shook the earth so that at times it 
seemed to have left its orbit. 

"Then the harsh voiced thunders of these instruments of war were hushed 
and the darkened skies were pierced by a rocket as a signal to advance. 

"Stout hearts sometimes quail under such extreme emergencies. 

"Would these Pennsylvanians go forward and be hurled back in the de- 
vastating tempest of war's most fearful havoc as had occurred to other 
troops? 

"Theirs was not to reason why," so onward they came across that field, 
into the lurid flash of battle. 

"In a few moments the Confederate picket line was passed, the impene- 
trable abattis was swept aside ; strong hands seized and tore away the for- 
midable obstacles; and then with a resistless power, the bolts and the bars 
of the Chevaux-de-frise were broken; then an onward rush, a plunge 
through the moat, a surmounting of the fortifications, and at the first 
blush of morning light, the battle flags of these six Pennsylvania regi- 
ments floated from the fortifications, extending from Fort Mahone to the 
north of the Jerasalem Plank road. 

"Here the battle did not cease in its fury and from early morn until 
long after the sun disappeared from this bloody scene, did the conflict con- 
tinue — the Confederates trying to regain what had been lost, and the 
Pennsylvanians to hold what they had gained. 

"This was a memorable assault and characterized for the impetuosity of 
the assailants and in fhe invincible courage and resistance of the besieged. 

"On the following morning, the soldiers of the division, with largely de- 
pleted ranks, passed through the streets of the beleagured, greatly bom- 
barded and demolished city of Petersburg, whose church spires through 
the long months of the siege had been in view of the Union lines, and 
whose chimes of bells, were so distinctly heard in those anthems of praise, 
the reverberations of which, swept across the lines of contending armies — 
heard, loved and cherished at that time, and fondly remembered now, 
though their admonitions for peaceful solutions were then turned aside, and 
and the great struggle between the States was pressed on to its final 
scenes at Appomattox, which followed so soon after the battle, here 
fought. 

"I congratulate you, soldiers of the Third Division, that you have lived 
to see this day and meet with each other again on this sacred spot. You 
will recall your comrades who here died for the flag and their country, and 
while you will rejoice in your assembling and meeting of those not before 
seen since the war, yet the mingling of joy and sadness is inevitable. 

"Other troops rendered their country, greater and longer service, only 
because, in the fortunes of war, greater or more extended opportunities 
were offered. 



Army of the Potomac. 87 

"Yours is a creditable record and you have added imperishable honor to 
the Keystone State, whose authorities, appreciating your services, have 
erected this monument to tell the story through coming generations of your 
gallantry in the great Civil War.. Profoundly grateful are you, that you 
are so honored, and that this great recognition of your services is made in 
the presence of the Chief Executive of these United States. 

"CAMP NEAR PETERSBURG" AND CONI'EDERATE BRAVERY. 
"What shall be said of those who occupied these intrenchments, on this 
side of the line of the two great contending armies? 

"How meaningless would this obelisk of granite and this statue of bronze 
be had the men who fought here not been among the bravest of the brave? 

"In thousands of Northern homes, packed away in the attic, may be 
found to-day, packages of soldiers letters, written from these fields that 
surround the city of Petersburg, and if we unfold these time-worn pages, 
we shall find the caption reads, — "Camp, near Petersburg, Virginia." 
Every one of these letters is a tribute to the valor, the nesisting power, 
and the indomitable courage of the men, who so long held at bay, the 
Great Army of the Potomac. 

"No classic eulogy, — no anthem of praise, — no ecomium of glory, — no 
Athenian panegyric for heroism on the fields of Marathon, could too 
strongly accentuate the valor of the Confederate soldier, who here fought 
for his convictions and stood in decimated ranks of his own colors, until 
the last gun was fired at Appomattox. 

"Every measure of commendation which the soldiers of the Confederacy 
merit is most generously bestowed by the veterans in blue, for in this 
Confederate valor, there is added and reflected imperishable glory to the 
boys of this Pennsylvania Division, who here pierced the formidable em- 
battlements, upon which they planted their flags on that Sunday morn- 
ing, — the second of April, 1865. 

"Oh! my countrymen, — it was American versus American and but for 
the disparity of numbers and resources who shall say when Appomattox 
would have come? 

"Therefore, this monument is a tribute to the American Soldier, no mat- 
ter whether it in particular names the Third Division Ninth Coi-ps, or 
Grimes' Division of Gordon's Corps, that defended these lines in the mem- 
orable assault? 

"Surely the ground whereon you stand is most hallowed, and while the 
nation shall live, and deeds of heroism and devotion be venerated, the ter- 
ritory within the siege of Petersburg, will be sacred to every true Ameri- 
can. 

"Lamentable as was the fraternal strife here enacted, — with all its cruel- 
ties and malignancies, incident to Civil War, yet thanks be to Almighty 
God, all is turning to glory now, all will be an inspiration to the student 
of American history, and all will contribute to the brilliancy of American 
arms and the perpetuity of the American republic." 



^ Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK. 

tbe peop,, 01 „is wond„I„, ,a.d. these ^^^^Z ZZr"' '" 

.uJv trTteTe'^r "":,"^ """"'-^ -^ ^" ''°'°-' - """'e.e.te 
these fidso" It r K ""'° """^^ '""" "■<>''« ""» ««<> 0= 

senUmen, ^' """ """' ^="~'^ "» "'"■"' "»' 'i"-ion of 

Turning our thoughts to the Dominion ot Canada, where on the Plaina 

Ta!;; •:^r,::rd":e::Ltr "--'^^ ^^ - --^ - ---- 

in a fraternal and loyal spirit, unite in the buildino o7 . ^' 

fl Ifshead" ' • ' ^'"" '""' ^""•^' °^ "^-- '" --^ -vi^g 

f^r^",',". "' ''^'"' """' "'" ''"■"™' «"'■»"'» Ot the great civil strife 
for al, too soon, h.t.oo „i„ he sounded, the sunset gun fired lad 'IL^ 
be Mown on the old heroic bugle, proclaiming the final n,„ er out 

^^^rsi^E^zsrs'h::::-----^: 

fraternal relations between the North and the South 

What a galaxy of heroes in bronze could be assembled about its base ' 

.ohrrL rorATn-ii'^^f r"' ^^^^ ^-^^^ ^---' - 

v^oiuon, A. F. Hill, and George Gordon Meade T R R 

Hart: 'nft^°'Th?"'fh ""• ''^^^'^"' ^''^^ ''^'^^^ ^^''^I'n Frederic. 
Halt anft. Then the great ideal chief tan of the «outh, Robert E Lee 
and the stalwart soldier of the North, Ulysses S. Grant 

What an assemblage of American soldiers and their name is legion' 
The establishment of a battlefield park on these renowned and sanguinary 




j7^.//^/^Z. - 



President William H. Taft, who made an address at the unveiling 
of the monument at Fort Mahone, May 19, 1909. 



Army of the Potomac. 89 

fields, and the erection of such a monument in the spirit manifested here 
to-day, would be the highest tribute to the valor of the American soldier. 

The monument would be a shrine of patriotism, — a temple of American 
fame, — inspiration to the highest ideals of honor and purity in public af- 
fairs, — an incentive to loyalty to the strength of the Union, — a bulwark 
of strength to the republic, —a guarantee to its perpetuity, and a procla- 
mation to all the nations of the world of the invincibility of American 
arms, and of the indestructibility of the American nation. 

After music by the Cadet Band of Petersburg, the presiding officer, Col. 
Goddard, paid eloquent tribute to President Taft and introduced him as 
the next speaker. 



PRESIDENT TAFT'S ADDRESS. 

PRESIDENT TAFT spoke as follows: 
My fellow citizens: 
We are met to-day to on the soil of Virginia to dedicate a mem- 
orial to the bravery of the sons of Pennsylvania exhibited in a contest to 
death with the sons of Virginia and the South. We stand here in the 
centre of the bloodiest and most critical operations of the last yeai' of 
the Civil War, only a few miles distant from that dramatic scene at Ap- 
pomattox between Grant and Lee, which marked the great qualities of 
the heart and soul of each, and which was the real end of the terrific 
struggle between the two sections. Here in and about Petersburg, the 
outwork of Richmond, the home of the Confederacy, were carried on 
those besieging operations begun late in the spring of 1864 and continued 
with the courage and the tenacity of purpose characteristic of the Federal 
commander for nearly a year, and resisted with the bravery and strategy 
and wealth of expedient of the Confederate leader until the forces of the 
South, worn out by the constant assaults and the incessant hammering, 
were compelled to yield to the greater numbers and the greater resources 
of the North. To Pennsylvania, as one of the great States of the Union, 
engaged in the determination to save it, fell the burden of furnishing tens 
of thousands of men for the struggle in every part of the line of attack, but 
especially in the Army of the Potomac, was the force of her people and 
their devotion to the cause felt. Beside her serried columns, she contri- 
buted to the Union army. Major General George C. Meade, the commander 
of the Army of the Potomac; four corps commanders, Hancock, Hum- 
phreys, Birney and Parke, together with Gregg, the commander of the 
cavalry division, a roster of which she may well be proud. 

The mine under the Petersburg works which was successf^.lly exploded 
in the early summer of '04, was the work of the miners of Pennsylvania en- 
listed in the 48th Regiment of that State, and the work which was done by 
them called fur especial mention in the despatches of General Meade. In 
the operations in and about Petersburg, from the early summer; of '64 



90 TMrd Division, Ninth Corps, 

until tlae surrender at Appomattox in '65, there were engaged from Penn- 
sylvania upwards of eighty thousand men, a larger number than now con- 
stitutes the army of the United States. Upon the 25th of March, 1865, 
General Lee determined to make an assault upon the Federal besieging 
lines east of the town, and successfully carried them by attack of a divi- 
sion under General Gordon, only to be untimately defeated by the attack of- 
fered by Hartranft's two Pennsylvania brigades. These brigades had just 
been recruited and might have been expected to yield to the terrific on- 
slaught of the Confederate veterans; but, taking on the stubbornness and 
courage of their great brigade commander, they withstood the battle and 
turned the enemy and added to the martial renown of the Keystone State. 

It is forty-four years since the battle of Fort fetedman and the subse- 
quent victory of the Hartranft division. In the time which has passed the 
bitterness of the internecine struggle has passed away, and we now treas- 
ure as a common heritage of the country the bravery and the valor of 
both sides in that controversy. A memorial which marks the steadfast- 
ness, the courage and the soldierly qualities of the forces engaged in de- 
fense of the Union, finds its true significance and meaning in the corres- 
ponding bravery and courage of those with whom the battle was fought. 

The Army of the Potomac under Grant and Meade, was seconded and 
supported by a generous government. Constant reinforcements, generous 
supplies of food and clothing, needful fuel and shelter, the tender minis- 
trations of physicians and nurses, and frequent communication with home 
and friends, all these abounded in the Union lines. It was hardly so with 
the Confederate forces. Scantily clothed, rarely on more than half ra- 
tions, and for considerable periods reduced to an allowance of bacon and 
meal hardly sufficient to sustain life, the long winter through, their shiver- 
ing infantry manned the ever-extending siege works, and made head against 
the vigorous assaults of the Union army until their depleted ranks were 
no longer equal to the defense of their attenuated lines, and they gave up a 
contest which by any other soldiers but the tried and seasoned veterans of 
the Army of Northern Virginia would long before have been abandoned. 
We could not dedicate this beautiful and enduring memorial to the volun- 
teer soldiers of Pennsylvania with such a scene of its justice and appropri- 
ateness, had they not been confronted by an enemy capable of resisting 
their assaults with equal valor and fortitude. Pennsylvania's pride must be 
in the victory achieved by her men against so brave, resolute and re- 
sourceful enemy. 

That we can come here to-day and in the presence of thousands and tens 
of thousands of the survivore of the gallant Army of Northern Virginia and 
of their descendants, establish such an enduring monument by their hos- 
pitable welcome and acclaim, is conclusive proof of the uniting of the 
sections and a universal confession that all that was done was well done ; 




Goveruor Edwin S. Stuart, of Peunsylvania, who accepted the 
mouuments at Fort KStedmiau and Fort Mahone and turned them 
over to Governor Claude K. Swansuu. of Virsiuia. 



Army of the Potomac. 91 

that the battle had to be fought ; that the sections had to be tried ; but that 
in the end the result has inured to the common benefit of all. 

The men of the Army of Northern Virginia fought for a principle which 
they believed to be right and for which they were willing to sacrifice their 
lives, their homes — all, indeed, which men hold most dear. As we recog- 
nize their heroic services, so they and their descendants welcome the great 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the soil of A^'irginia and join that 
Commonwealth in honoring the services rendered by its gallant sons in the 
struggle for the preser\-ation of the Union. The contending forces of now 
half a century ago have given place to a new North and a new South, and 
to a more enduring Union in whose responsibilities and whose glorious des- 
tiny we equally and gratefully share. 

Music by Fortress Monroe Military Band. 

Gov. Edwin S. Stuart, of Pennsylvania, on behalf of the Monument 
Commission and speaking for the State of Pennsylvania, delivered the 
monuments at Forts Stedman and Mahone into the keeping of Gov. Swan- 
son, of Virginia. 



GOVERNOR STUART'S ADDRESS. 

AS GOVERNOR of Pennsylvania I accept this monument from the 
members of the Commission appointed to carry out the provi- 
sions of the Act of Assembly making an appropriation for the 
purpose, and desire to congratulate them upon the faithful manner in 
which they have performed their duty. The memorial is erected on this 
spot by the people of Pennsylvania as a token of gratitude to the memory 
of the ofiicers and enlisted men of the Third Division, Ninth Army Corps, 
Army of the Potomac, and will forever be known as the Third Division 
Monument. The division was commanded by a Pennsylvania soldier. 
General John F. Hartranft, and no braver man ever drew a sword in 
defense of a cause. After the close of the rebellion he retired to civil life 
and served his State in a civic capacity both as Auditor General and later 
as Governor with the same devotion to duty with which he defended the 
flag of his country when he fought here. 

And now, Governor Swanson, we leave this memorial to the northern 
soldier in the keeping of the people of Virginia with absolute confidence 
that they will never permit any injury or harm to come to it, and I 
know I express the sentiments of all the people of Pennsylvania when I 
tender their thanks, not only to those of your people who have met us 
here in such a fraternal and kindly manner, but more particularly to the 
members of the General A. P. Hill Camp, Confederate Veterans, who in 
a fraternal and patriotic spirit have marched to this place with the sur- 
vivors of the 3rd Division, 9th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, and 
assisted them to dedicate this tribute to their fallen comrades. It is an 



92 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

act of brave men toward brave men, and I assure you that when we re- 
turn to our homes we will ever remember with grateful recollections the 
heartfelt and sincere welcome received at your hands this day. 

Music by the Cadet Band, Petersburg, Va. 

Gov. Svvanson in accepting the trust of caring for the monument spoke 
as follows: 



GOVERNOR SWANSON'S ADDRESS. 

THE President, His Excellency, the Governor of Pennsylvania — 
Ladies and Gentlemen: 
I have listened with profound pleasure to the splendid ad- 
dresses of the distinguished men, who have preceded me. Their patriotic 
utterances find a responsive chord in my bosom, and I am sure in that of 
the Virginia people. This Commonwealth is proud of her vast contribu- 
tions to national greatness and glory. She rejoices that in every line of 
national endeavor her illustrious sons have labored and their achievements 
have given to State and nation unfading lustre and renown. She views 
with pride the superb career of her many daughters in statehood and feels 
that their glory but adds to her a deeper, richer majesty. She salutes 
with congratulations of maternal pride her illustrious daughter Ohio, and 
directs me to convey to the distinguished son of that State, the President 
of the United States, her blessings and benedictions, and the ardent hope 
.that the vast power and responsibilities given him will result in national 
progress, prosperity and glory. 

She wishes me to give to the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania her 
fraternal greetings ; to assure her that the ties formed during the storms of 
the Revolution, when each became battle-scarred, are yet tender and dear 
and that nothing that has since occurred has either obliterated or lessened 
these close ties. She rejoices that you have seen proper to commemorate 
the valor and heroism of your soldiers by erecting here suitable and befit- 
ting monuments. We pledge you that they shall be respected and pre- 
served continually cared for as memorials of valor and courage. Every 
Federal monument necessarily conveys a tribute of honor to Confederate 
valor ; every one erected to the heroism of the gray also attests the cour- 
age of the blue. The greater valor and courage exhibited; the great suf- 
fering endured ; the great sacrifice made ; the great military genius dis- 
played by both sides during the late Civil War, have brought to us the 
profound rspect and awe of all nations and surrounds this people with a 
halo of glory that is imperishable. Nowhere in the broad theater of war 
did valor, heroism and military prowess display themselves more brilliantly 
and strikingly than in the fierce battles which raged for months around 
Petersburg and her environs. The surrounding soil is made sacred by the 
rich libations of heroic blood, generously poured upon it by blue and 
gray. Here should be reared Federal and Confederate monuments to tes- 




Governor Claufle It. Swanson, of Virginia, who received the 
monuments from Governor Eihvhi S. Stuart, of Pennsylvania. 



Army of the Potomac. 93 

tify our admiration of the brave soldiers who seaJed their devotion to 
their cause with their lives, but "won death's royal purple in the foeman s 
line." 

Sirs through all the coming years will Petersburg be connected in im- 
perishable renown, with great commanders, heroic valor and a brave, 
determined soldiery. 

As we stand here to-day and recall the stirring scenes, the fierce war 
and bitter strife of forty-four years ago, what a contrast is presented 
The flag then rent now floats without a seam. The frightful nightmare 
of sectional hate has disappeared in the glorious dawn of a re-united 
country. And this majestic Republic, steadied once more on its four 
mighty pillars of North, South, East and West, is being builded each 
year stronger, higher, grander. To-day Pennsylvania and Virginia, for- 
getting all past hostility and conflict, lovingly embrace each other and 
each wishes that the other may have all measures of happiness and pros- 

perity. 

We have as our welcome and honored guest the President of the United 
States, whose patriotism embraces all sections and who purposes to be the 
President of all the people, regardless of past or partisan differences. And 
we witness the pleasing spectacle, to-day, how the people of a great 
State on whose soil was fought more than one thousand battles, whost 
homes' and fields were devastated, who were reduced to poverty and distress 
bravely accepted their new destiny and condition, commenced the rehab- 
ilitation of their prostrate State and have unceasingly worked and toiled, 
without complaint, until they have builded a Virginia, greater in popula- 
tion greater in wealth, greater in educational advantages, greater m fu- 
ture possibilities than the glorious Virginia of the past. This majestic su- 
perstructure of progress and prosperity has been constructed without con- 
taining a single stone of malice or ill-will. Virginia's ambition in the future 
is that she may be, as she has been in the past, one of the brightest jeweli 
in America's great crown of glories. 

In conclusion, as we stand on these once battle-scarred grounds, on 
this beautiful May day, and see the landscape now covered with rich 
green verdure, the beautiful lines of Shakespeare describing the end of 
civil war in England seems so appropriate that I cannot refrain from 
quoting them: 

"No more the thirsty entrance of this soil 

Shall daub her lips with her own -hlUlreu's blood; 

No more shall trenching war channel her fields 

Nor bruise her flowrets with the armed hoofs 

Of hostile paces; those opposed eyes. 

Which, like the meteors of a troubled heaven. 

All of one nature, of one substance bred, 

Did lately meet in the intestine shock — 

And furious close of Civil butchery. 

Shall now, in mutual, well beseeming ranks, 

March all one Way; and be no more opposed 

Against acquaintance, kindred and allies. 



94 TMrd Division, Ninih Corps, 

After music by the Fortress Monroe Military Band, the presiding offi- 
cer, Col. Goddard, called on Rev. Dr. Plannet, former chaplain of the 
211th Regiment, to offer the benediction. After the benediction was 
pronounced, taps were sounded three times from Fort Mahone by a 
bugler from the Fortress Monroe band and echoed by a bugler from the 
Cadet band stationed at Fort Sedgwick, known throughout the siege of 
Petersburg as "Fort Hell." 

CIVIC PARADE, 

SCARCELY had the echoes of taps died away among the pines around 
Fort Sedgwick when a long line of carriages were drawn up in front 
of the Presidential stand to escort the President and other dis- 
tinguishd guests to Petersburg, and through its crowded streets under the 
following escort: 

The line of maroh from Fort Mahone to be as follows: 

From Fort Mahone to Jerusalem Plank road, to Hickory street, to 
Jefferson street, to Apollo street, to Adams street, to Cupid street, 
to Sycamore street, where they will join in the main column. The 
mounted escort will here pass in front of the President's carriage and 
precede the infantry escort, which will be composed of the second battal- 
ion, Second Regiment, Virginia Volunteers, under command of Major E. 
E . Goodwyn . 

The Second Battalion, Second Regiment, Virginia Volunteers will as- 
semble on Cupid street, right resting on Sycamore street. 

The Battalion of Coast Artillery from Fort Monroe will assemble on 
Shore street, right resting on Sycamore, facing north. 

First Battery, First Infantry Virginia Volunteers, will assemble on 
Shore street, left resting on Sycamore, facing south. 

Other infantry organizations to assemble on Sycamore street, right 
resting on Cupid street, facing west. 

Grimes' Battery of Artillery, after firing salute to move to Mars and 
Sycamore streets, there to take their position in line as the column 
passes. 

Petersburg Fire Department to assemble in Filmore street and take 
position in rear of column as it passes. 

The order of column formation will be as follows: 

1. Police. 

2. Chief Marshal and staff. 

3. Mounted escort. 

4. Kesnich's Band. 

5. Second Batt. 2d regt. 

6. President and party. 

7. Post Band, Fort Monroe. 

8. Batt. Coast Art. Fort Monroe. 

9. First Batt. Band. 

10. 1st. Batt. 1st Regt. Vt. Vols. 



Army of the Potomac. 95 

11. Provisional Organizations, Inf. 

12. A. P. Hill Camp Drumi Corps. 

13. A. P. Hill Camp C. V. 

14. A. P. Hill Camp S. C. V. 

15. Pennsylvania Veterans. 

16. Grimes' Battery. 

17. Citizens on foot. 

18. Petersburg Fire Department. 

Proceed with parade as heretofore announced. 

The follovping aides are detached vpith the various organizations: 

With mounted escort — Capt. J. A. Nichols. 

With infantry escort — Lieutenant George W. Watson. 

With President and party — Capt. J. C. Bodoun and Lieutenant W. R. 
Nichols. 

With infantry organizations — Lieutenant Wm. A. Bond and Lieut. G. 
E. Bowie. 

With A, P. Hill Camp — Ernest Jones. 

With Pennsylvania Veterans — I. J. Hartley. 

With Grimes' Battery — George W. Harrison. 

With citizens on foot — H. L. Percivall. 

With Petersburg Fire Department — C. P. Collier. 

Assistant marshals will report at head Sycamore street promptly at 
12.30 P. M. 

By order of 

THE CHIEF MARSHAL. 

Benj. Harrison, Chief of Staff. 



The list of carriages with their occupants were: 

1. The President, Wm. H. Taft; the Mayor, Wm. A. Jones; Col. 
Milton A. Embick, sect'y com., and Capt. Archie Butt, Military Aide. 

2. Embassador Jusserand, M. Swanson, Charles Hall Davis and Hon. 
George S. Bernard. 

3. Governor Swanson, Madame Jusserand, Governor Stuart, Mr. 
Mischler . 

4. Admiral Sigsbee, Mrs. M. C. Donlop, Hon. Geo. A. Pearre, Mrs. 
Pearre. 

5. General James Magill, Mrs. James Magill, Dr. E. A. Alderman, 
W. B. Mcllvaine. 

6. Ex-Governor Montague, Mrs. Montague, R. B. Davis, Mrs. 
Davis. 

7. Lieut. Governor Murphy, Adjutant General Stewart, Col. Ripple, 
A. B. Millar. 

8. Col. Morrell, Col. Potter, Col. Logan, Col. Weaver. 

9. Col. Patterson, Col. Brown, Lieut. Col. Reid, and Lieut. Col. 
Bradley . 



96 Third Dimsion, Ninth Corps, 

10. Lt. Col. Beitler, Lt. Col. Pusey, Lt. Col. Rook, Lt. Col. 
Hutchins. 

11. Lt. Col. Wiggins, Lt. Col. Sailer, Sergt. Green, James Lam- 
berton, Virginia Staff. 

13. Col. Dempsey, Mrs. Dempsey, Col. Masse, Mrs. Masse. 

14. M. C. Branch, Col. Sterne, Mrs. Cameron. 

15. Col. McAdams, Col. Scott, Col. Parrish, Mrs. Parrish. 

16. Col. Lawless, Miss Lawless, Col. Payne, Mrs. Payne. 

17. Col. Rucker, Col. Roberts, Col. Pettit, Mrs. Pettit. 

18. Col. Waite, Mrs. Ellerson, Col. Holdt and Mrs, Holdt. 

19. Col, Bradford, Mrs. Bradford, Major Hunter, Mrs. Moore. 

20. Col. West, Mrs. West, Ben. P. Owen. 
D. Pennsylvania Comimission. 

21. Mrs. Milton A. Embick, James Bayard Embick, F, Wellington 
Ruckstuhl, Mrs, C. G. 'Flower, Mr. C, G. Flower. 

22. Major I. B. Brown, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Harold Gilbert, Mr. Rasselas 
Wilcox Brown. 

23. Major Huidekoper, carriage, private. 

24. Col. Goddard, A. L. Bates, W. N. Jones, N. T. Patterson. 

25. Mrs. Hartranft, Misses Hartranft, Mr. Hartranft. 

26. Mrs. William Mabone, Mrs. General Dodd, Mrs. Morgaride and 
Miss Morgaride. 

27. Mrs. W. L. Magill, Hon. M. E. Olmsted, Lt. Gov. J. C. 
EUyson, Mr. Henry Whitaker. 

28. Capt. Aughenbaugh, Miss Aughenbaugb, Mr. Augihenbaugh . 

29. Capt. Frederick, Miss Frederick, Capt. Seabold and Mrs, Sea- 
bold. 

30. A. H. Bond and Family — Private. 

31. Mrs. Gen. Gilbert, Mr. Seward Jones, Mrs. Jones, Miss Mabel 
Jones. 

32. General Stith Boiling, Gen'l. Kohler, Hon. O. B. Hemp, J. E. 
Wbitehorne. 

33. Ex-Gov. Hoge Tyler, Bishop R. A. Gibson, Rev. Richard Mc- 
Ilvaine, Bartlett Roper, Sr. 

34. Col. John S. Mosby, Simon Seward, Raleigh C. Smith, Richard 
B. Tinstall. 

35. Williami Mabone, Alva H. Martin, Judge Waddill and Mrs. Wad- 
dill. 

36. Geo, Cameron, Sr., and guests. 

37. W. L. Zimmer, E. K. Victor, Hon, James R, Mann, Hon. W. 
H. Wiley. 

38. W. A. Patton, R. B. Cooke, J. N. Purriance, Elisba Lee. 

39. Commander Quimby, Hon. Nichols, M. C. J. D. Eggleston, Jr., 
J. R. Patterson. 

40. Dr. W. S. Drewry, Dr. Emmon G. Williams, W, S. Copeland, 
John L. Williams. 



Army of the Potomac. 97 

41. H. P. Stratton, Judge J. O. Pritchard, Hon. E. H. Madison, 
H. C. Loudenslager. 

42. Judge W. H. Mann, Hon. E. W. Roberts, Hon. J. M. Miller, 
Rev. J. S. Forster. 

43. Rev. C. B. Bryan, L. E. Johnson, Hon. N. E. Kendall, Hon. 
D. A. Hollingsworth . 

44. Rev. J. B. Winn, Hon. T. B. Hanna, Hon. J. W. Dwight, 
Col. W. H. Stewart. 

45. Dr. R. W. Barnwell, Hon. A. B. Stewart, Hon. W. J. Carey, 
Rev. D. H. Holston. 

46. Robert Gilliam, Sr., Rev. J. T. O'Ferrell, Rev. Dr. Schmitt, 
Rabbi Klein. 

47. Rev. J. S. Foster, Julian S. Carr, Hon. P. P. Campbell. 

48. Francis R. Lassiter and Army Officers. 

49. R. Boiling Wilcox and Army Officers. 

50. Charles T. Lassiter and Army Officers. 

51. Charles A. Douglas, Gibbs Baker, James Baker, Rev. W. C. 
Taylor. 

52. Charles Hensett, Mrs. Hensett, Mrs. Van Amriuge, Alexander 
McNeil . 

53. Hon. H. R. Burton, J. M. Ohappell, J. L. Jarman, R. K. 
Davis. 

54. Dr. Rawley Martin, Miss Martin, Dr. E. E. Field, Mrs. W. F. 
Drecory. , 

55. Press Representatives. 

56. Press Representatives. 

57. Press Representatives. 

At the conclusion of the civic parade the Presidential party were driven 
to the magnificeunt home of Hon. Charles Hall Davis, where luncheon was 
served not only to the Presidential party and the distinguished ladies 
present, but to several thousand Third Division members and their 
comrades in gray on the spacious grounds surrounding Center Hill Man- 
sion. The President and his party were seated at luncheon on the porch 
of the mansion in the following manner: The President, on his right, 
Hon. Charles Hall Davis, Gov. Edwin S. Stuart, of Pennsylvania, 
Senator William B. Mcllvaine, of Virginia, Admiral Sigsbee, U. S. N., 
Hon. Geo. S. Bernard, local historian of the Confederacy; Col. John 
S. Mosby, C. S. A.; Hon. M. E. Olmsted, Pa.; Capt. N. T. Pat- 
terson, Wendell Mischler, Asst. Sect'y- to Pres. ; Ex-Gov. Hoge Tyler, 
of Va. ; General Stith Boiling, Com. Va. Div. Confederate Veterans; W. 
N. Jones, Pres. Board of Alderman, Petersburg. To the President's left 
sat: Gov. Claude A. Swanson, of Va. ; M. Jusserand, Embassador 
from France to the U. S. ; Dr. E. A. Alderman, Pres. Univ. of Va. ; 
Major I.E. Brown, Pres. Pa. Battlefield Com. ; Hon. Wm. M. Jones, 
Mayor of Petersburg; Major A. C. Huidekoper, Chief Marshal in charge 
of unveiling exercises; Ex-Gov. Montague, of Va. ; Capt. A. W. Butt, 



98 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

Military Aide to the President; Col. R. H. I. Goddard, Providence R. 
I., Presiding officer Fort Mahoge unveiling; R. B. Davis, Ex-Comman- 
der of A. P. Hill Camp Confederate Veterans; Col. Milton A. Embick, 
Sec'ty Battlefield Commission; L. E. Johnson, Pres. Norfolk and Western 
R. R. ; J. E. Whitehorne, Commander A. P. Hill Camp Confederate 
Veterans. 



LUNCHEON GIVEN IN HONOR OF MRS. TAFT AT CENTRE 
HILL MANSION. 

WHILE more than a thousand guests including men from many 
States besides Pennsylvania and Virginia were being served 
at an al-fresco luncheon under the shade of the majestic oaks 
and elms which adorn the "Centre Hill" lawn, a party of thirty ladies were 
entertained at luncheon in the spacious dining-room of the mansion. The 
guests of honor included the wife of the French ambassador and the ladies 
who accompanied the Pennsylvania veterans on their pilgrimage to dedi- 
cate and unveil the handsome monument erected to the memory of the 
.heroic soldiers of the Third Division Ninth Corps, commanded by General 
Hartranft. 

At three o'clock the guests including those from a distance, and the 
Petersburg ladies, invited to meet them, assembled in the drawing room 
and were presented by Mrs. Charles Hall Davis to Madame Jusserand. 
They were then ushered into the dining-room and seated at a large circular 
table, decorated with exquisite orchids and delicate ferns. A blessing 
was asked by Bishop Gibson of the Virginia Diocese, after which an 
elaborate menu of eight courses was served by the Washington caterer 
who had the affair in charge. It was a matter of deep regret to all 
present that Mrs. Taft was unable on account of illness to be present at 
Petersburg, and a toast to her was proposed by Mrs. Swanson, express- 
ing many kind wishes for her health, each lady standing to take a sip of 
champagne. Those present at the table were Madame Jusserand, wife 
of the French Ambasador to the U. S., Mrs. John F. Hartranft, 
widow of General Hartranft, of Pa. ; Mrs. Isaac B. Brown, wife of the 
orator at Fort Mahone, of Corry, Pa. ; Mrs. A. C. Huidekoper, wife of 
the Chief Marchal of Meadville, Pa. ; Mrs. Milton A. Embick, and her 
daughter, Mrs. Clarence Guiles Flower, of Carlisle, Pa. ; Mrs. Harold 
Arthur Gilbert, who unveiled the monument at Fort Mahone, of Williams- 
port, Pa. ; Miss Mable Elizabeth Jones, of Boston, Mass., granddaughter 
of Lieut. Hugh Jones, who was the first officer killed at Fort Stedman. 
Miss Jones unveiled the monument at Fort Stedman. Mrs. Seward W. 
Jones, of Boston; Mrs. Lyman S. Gilbert, of Harrisburg, Pa., formerly 
Miss Cameron, of Petersburg; Mrs. Claude A. Swanson, Mrs. Montague, 
Mrs. Lucy Lee Hill McGill, daughter of Gen. A. P. Hill; Mrs. Charles Hall 
Davis, Mrs. William B. Mcllvaine, Mrs. William M. Jones, Mrs. Geo. 
S. Bernard, Mrs. Richard B. Davis, Mrs. Robert T. Meade, Mrs. 



Army of the Potomac. 99 

Tarlton Heath, Mrs. W. Gordon McCabe, Jr., Mrs. Barnard Mann, 
Mrs. Edmund H. Patterson, Mrs. Wm. F. Drewry, Mrs. Arthur Kyle 
Davis, Mrs. Harvey Seward, and Mrs. H. P. Stratton. At the con- 
clusion of the luncheon the ladies returned to the drawing room where 
they were introduced to President Taft by Mayor William M. Jones. The 
President, delightfully cordial to all he met, made the reception a very 
happy one. Later the luncheon guests occupied seats upon the north 
portico and listened to Mr. Taft's address from the mound in the park. 
In the evening from the south portico with Gov. Swanson as toast 
master, the President again delivered a very happy address; he was fol- 
lowed by the French Ambassador, Gov. Stuart, of Pennsylvania, Dr. 
Alderman, President of Virginia University; Senator Mcllvaine and 
others. And thus the nineteenth of May, 1909, passed into history. 



BRILLIANT CLOSE OF A GREAT DAY. 

The reception to the President at night even excelled in brillancy the 
various entertainments of the day and gloriously ended an occasion which 
Mr. Taft says could not be excelled. 

More than 2,000 men and women passed before the President, who, 
in the absence of Mrs. Taft, received alone, the introductions being made 
by Captain Archibald Butt, his aid. 

Centre Hill, which is one of the most historic of the Colonial mansions 
in the South, where the function was held, was beautifully and profusely 
decorated with flags and great bowls of American Beauty roses, while 
the extensive grounds were ablaze with streamers of electric lights. 

On the lawn the guests were served on tables of turf, under splendid old 
trees, while two military bands furnished the music. 

Governor Swanson and Mrs. Swanson, with a score of colonels in bril- 
liant uniform, and Governor Stuart of Pennsylvania, with his staff in full 
dress, each held informal receptions, while perhaps a hundred officers of 
the Virginia militia were present in uniform to give an added brilliancy to 
the occasion. 

The French ambassador made a charmng address, after a most happy 
introduction by Hon. A. J. Montague. 

The costumes of the ladies were altogether charming and the scene 
upon the lawn was like a fairyland. 

Ijouis A. McMahon writing for the Petersburg Index Appeal thus 
summarizes the day and event: 

"Smiles, Beauty, History; these three words epitomize the epoch mak- 
ing visit of William Howard Taft, President of the United States to the 
City of Petersburg. 

"Under smiling southern skies, amid scenes of beauty and never-to-be- 



100 Third Division, Ninth Corps, 

forgotten splendor, the Chief Executive of the nation, the people ot 
Petersburg, and the veterans in blue, enacted scenes in a drama, which 
will ever remain vividly before the people of these United States. 

"It has been a great day, not alone for Petersburg, for Virginia or 
Pennsylvania, but in the history of the whole country, a day which will 
conduce to a greater reunion-a day to make stronger our common love for 
our common country, for which all of us, if necessary, are willing and 

ready to die. 

"Spoken from the lips of the ruler of the greatest government in the 
universe, these utterances best express the meaning of May 19, 1909. 
Mr Taft, when he spoke these words, enunciated with a strong emphasis 
and force', and Petersburg's swelling heart but palpitated the faster, 
and the souls of her admirable sons glowed warmer and more content in 
the consciousness of duty well done. Presidents there have been a score 
and more, days that have faded are more innumerable than the constella- 
tions of the firmament, but however, long this nation may endure, no 
chief executive, and no day will ever shine forth in such luminosity, m 
such bas-relief, and such historic splendor as William Howard Taft, and 

May 19, 1909." 

Midnight still found the streets of the City of Petersburg crowded with 
the Blue and the Gray, greeting each other as fraternally as long lost 
brothers. Houses were thrown open and receptions given the most elab- 
orate one being given by the widow of General William Mahone assisted 
by her charming daughter, Mrs. McGill. Her spacious mansion on 
Washington street was crowded by Gov. Stuart and his staff, of Penn- 
sylvania, the members of the Petersburg Battlefield Commission, witJi 
their wives and daughters from Pennsylvania, and many other distin- 
guished guests until eleven o'clock at night. President Taft left for a short 
visit to North Carolina and during the night and next day the members of 
the Third Division bade goodbye to the veterans in gray and took trains 
for their homes in Pennsylvania and other states, never again to meet 
until in the White Tents of the Camp Eternal. Their work was done. 



!Ml:!l!)IIIHIli 



